The Power to Heal and Destroy
by Phoenixsun
Summary: After being left out by his team, Naruto decides to walk around the outsides of the village, this sets off a chain of events that will sent Naruto down a path that will shake the Shinobi World. But will he be able to confront what he finds in it? Or will he be overwhelmed by it?
1. The Fool Arcana

**Itachi –** So here it is, the new and greatly improved version of PHD's chapter 1, being updated on 06-28-2010.

**Kisame –** The chapters that were on the list for rewriting were 1 through 9, yeah just about half the fic at this moment…

**Itachi –** To know if one of the chapters has being rewritten, just look for Kisame and I at the beginning.

**Kisame –** Yeah, that's where the real improvement is.

**Itachi –** Knock it off, you Jaws-reject… Anyways, here the chapter that started it all…

* * *

_**The Power to Heal and Destroy**_

_**The Fool Arcana**_

It was a day like any other in the Leaf village as Naruto made his way to Team Seven's usual meeting place. So far the blond had followed his normal routine, he woke up, eat about a week's supply of ramen, gather and check his ninja gear, set off for the bridge, and ignore the several glares that the villagers sent his way. As he approached his destination, the next item in Naruto's list was to shout. "Sakura-chan!" To greet his female teammate.

Leaning against the bridge's rail, Sakura sighed in annoyance. _"Great! Not only is Sasuke-kun late today but now I'm left all alone with Naruto!"_ The pink haired girl ranted in her mind. "What do you want Naruto?" She asked, not bothering to keep her distaste away from her words.

Catching the aversion in the kunoichi's words, the blond genin stopped in his tracks. _"She's angry… Did I do something to make her mad?"_ The nervous Jinchuuriki wondered. Knowing it was too early to get on Sakura's bad side, Naruto look for a topic that would appease her, or at least distract her. "So… Where's Sasuke?"

At the mention of her crush, the pink haired girl's demeanor completely changed. "I don't know…" She solemnly informed. "He usually gets here before I do… I just hope that everything is alright." Sakura commented before going silent.

The two shinobi stayed in awkward silence for what seemed to be an eternity, though in reality it was merely two hours. Suddenly, a cloud of smoke burst out in the middle of the bridge, revealing Kakashi and Sasuke as it dissipated. "Yo!" The copy ninja nonchalantly greeted.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto immediately screamed at his sensei, still following his routine.

Meanwhile, Sakura made her way towards the Uchiha. "Sasuke-kun, where were you…? I was starting to get worry…" The kunoichi asked with genuine concern. Unfortunately for the young girl, her crush simply grunted an incoherent answer and walk pass her.

"Sorry for the delay, guys, but I was having some trouble trying to find Sasuke." Kakashi apologized as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Liar…" Came the immediate retort from the raven haired boy. "You told me to wait at the entrance of the Uchiha compound. I had to stand there for almost three hours." The young Sharingan user said, clearly angry and annoyed at the wait.

The silver haired jounin cleared his throat. "Anyways, setting that aside…" The copy ninja dismissed the issue. "I called all of you out here to talk about a very important matter concerning the Chunin Exam; I have already started discussing this with Sasuke." Kakashi explained.

The Jinchuuriki's eyes set on his teacher the moment the words "Chuunin Exam" were uttered. "I wanted to talk to you about that too, Kakashi-sensei!" The blond gening exclaimed excitedly. "You see, I don't think I have learnt enough to try taking the exam." The spiky haired boy admitted as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "So, I was wondering if… Maybe… You could teach me some new jutsus? But only because my offensive arsenal is pretty limited with only Kage Bushin!" The young Leaf nin explained his position, congratulating himself for eloquent request.

Now Kakashi felt ashamed. How could he continued with what he was about to say after hearing his students earnest request? Nevertheless, this was something he had to do; he owed as much to his fallen teammate.

At that moment, the silver haired man could not have possible imagined that his decision would ripple into a wave that will thunder throughout the shinobi world. "I'm sorry, Naruto… But I can't." He answered, looking away from his orange clad student. "I'll be training Sasuke for the time until the Exam starts. He just awakened his Sharingan and I'm the only one that can instruct him on how to use it properly." The copy ninja explained.

Naruto's eyes winded in disbelief at his teacher's words. "Bu… But what about Sakura and me? We need training as much as Sasuke does!" The blond shouted, unable to comprehend his sensei's reasoning.

Kakashi's guilt grew exponentially. How could he break the next piece of news to his young student when it would probably break him? But there was no way around it. "Sakura…" The jounin turned to face his female student as the sight of his trembling, blond student became unbearable. "You don't have to worry about your training." He didn't had to look at Naruto to know of the renew shock that invaded him. "I talk with Kurenai-san and she has agreed to teach you since her students are all training with their respective clans." The Sharingan user informed solemnly.

All four Leaf nins remained silent. Sasuke had already know how tense the situation was going to be, but it was already proving too much and the Uchiha had no option but to look away from his teammate and stare into the water below the bridge.

Sakura, though she was happy that she was going to receive training from one of the top kunoichi that Konohagakure had to offer, the girl could not help but feel sorry for Naruto; the fact that their teacher had not said a word from quite a few minutes led the Haruno towards one conclusion. _"But… But he cannot leave Naruto without training! I mean, the choice is obvious between him and Sasuke, but still, Kakashi-sensei is supposed to look after the training for all THREE of us!"_ Her mind raged.

After what had felt like an eternity, Naruto mustered enough courage to break the silence. "Ka… Kakashi-sensei… And what about me…?" The blond asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

The silver haired man's eye fell on the spiky haired boy. Truthfully, it pained the jounin doing this to his energetic student, but the decision had been made for him years ago on that collapsing cave. _"I'm sorry, but I owed it to Obito…"_ The man reasoned. "Naruto… You just need to practice your chakra control, work on your taijutsu and I'm sure that you will do great in the Chunin Exam." Kakashi said, failing miserably to sound reassuring. Knowing that there was no way that he could do any more damage to his young charge short of stabbing him in the heart with a kunai, the copy nin dismissed himself and left his students to sort their minds.

Staying in the bridge for a couple of minutes after his teacher's departures, Sasuke glanced at the broken blond on his way out. The words "I'm sorry" fought to come out of the Uchiha's mouth, but they failed and the young Sharingan user simply walked away with his eyes set towards the ground.

On the other hand, the concern Sakura was feeling towards the spiky haired boy was becoming unbearable. It wasn't as though she liked the loud, annoying, clumsy, and fashionably challenged boy, but seeing him now so weak, quite, and dim. _"How could Kakashi-sensei do this to Naruto? Yeah, he might be a little rough to work with, but he still needs proper training!"_ She thought.

Deciding it was best to head for the safety of his apartment before he broke down in front of Sakura, Naruto turned around and started to prepare himself to leave when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder.

"Naruto… Are you alright…?" Sakura asked with genuine concern.

On cue, a fake smile plastered itself in the blonde's face as he turned around to face the pink haired girl. "Of course I'm alright, Sakura-chan!" The boy lied as he gave her his trademark grin. "You heard Kakashi-sensei, I'm so good that I can train by myself and still amaze everyone at the exam with my amazing skills!" He stated.

Not buying the answer that she received, the kunoichi pressed on. "Are you sure?"

The forced grin forcefully widened. "Yeah, don't concern yourself with me, Sakura-chan. I'm fine!" The genin responded.

"If you say so…" The Haruno said defeated.

Smiling gratefully at the small affection he had being shown, Naruto gave his teammate the closest thing to a true smile he could muster at the moment. "Well, I have to go now. See you later, Sakura-chan!" The spiky haired shinobi exclaimed before he ran off.

Sakura remained in the bridge for a couple of minutes; until she could not see orange anymore. Sighing heavily and wishing both of her absent teammates go luck, the girl started heading home.

* * *

Naruto continued to run pass his apartment. The Jinchuuriki ran and ran for several minutes until his energy finally gave out and he was left walking slowly. The blond was still trying to grasp the idea that his "sensei" had just simply abandoned him so that he could train his prodigy student.

As the genin continued to wander throughout the village, his gaze was directed solely towards the ground. He couldn't see anything else, he didn't want to see anything else, because if he so much as looked at his sides, or ever front and back, the only thing that he would see would be the angry and condemning gazes of the villagers glaring at him. They didn't need to say anything to express their opinion of the young Jinchuuriki, they're eyes revealed everything. The blond could not take it anymore.

Forcing his body, Naruto started running once again. The spiky haired boy moved towards the village's gate as fast as his feet would take him. The young shinobi wouldn't dare to actually walk away from the village, but he just needed to get away from the villagers' spiteful glares, even if it was just for a moment.

The instant he breathed the fresh air outside the village's walls, the blond already felt better. There was no hostility plaguing his surroundings, just tranquility, so the spiky haired boy decided to take a walk around the forest surrounding Konoha. As long as the boy didn't wander in too deep, he should be alright.

After a couple of hours simply wandering, Naruto decided to sit and relax under the shade of a tree. _"It's still early. I can take a nap for a few minutes and go back to the village before the gates are closed off."_ The blond reasoned. With his decision made, the young shinobi closed his eyes and wander off into a deep slumber.

* * *

The dream started like any other. The blond had to brave is way through dungeons of libraries and classrooms, rescue Sakura from the evil vegetable army, and was rewarded by becoming king of the Ramen Kingdom.

Suddenly, Naruto dream changed dramatically. The joyous illusion that his mind had conjured was corrupted by memories of his childhood. The genin found himself in his five year old body being insulted, chased, kicked, beaten, and even burned by the villagers.

The young man's nightmare seemed to focus on a particular painful incident.

It was his fifth birthday and the spiky haired boy had committed the grave error of leaving the security of his apartment to go to the store and buy some ramen.

As the young boy stepped out of his apartment and headed towards the store, some of the villagers spotted and, before the child could even realized, a mob gathered.

It was only until he reached the store that the boy became aware of the angry mass of villagers coming towards him. Knowing too well what his fate would be if the crowd caught up to him, the blond forgot all about his business in the store, and started off in a mad dash back towards his home.

Sadly, the villagers ran after him and caught up to him soon enough. Before he knew it, the spiky haired boy was totally surrounded by a wall of hatred.

The killer intent permeating the surrounding was as strong as any war's.

The five year old stood completely terrified in the middle of it all. "W… Why…? Why do you hate me so much?" The little blond cried.

"Shut up demon!" Someone shouted from the angry mob.

"It's time for you to pay for what you did to the village!" A man exclaimed and the crowd roared in agreement.

And so, the beating began.

They punched, kicked, and even threw rocks at the small blond. In a matter of seconds, the little boy's body was reduced to a bloody mass. Looking up, to his horror, the beaten child could see that some of his aggressors were actually shinobi from the village, the people that were supposed to protect everyone.

Naruto's vision became blurry and soon all that he could see was crimson. Fortunately, before the red turned to black, the boy heart a voice shouting angrily over the mob. "STOP!" Forcing one of his eyes to focus, the boy was barely able to register the Hokage's silhouette standing before the dissipating crowd.

* * *

The genin woke up with a start as tears ran down his cheeks. Shaking his nightmare off, the boy looked at his surroundings and realized that he had slept for longer that he had intended to. The forest around the young man was already dark.

Deciding that it would be best to hurry toward the village before the gate closed and he was left outside the wall, Naruto started off. The young shinobi had only taken a few steps before his body was left paralyzed by an incredibly strong presence nearby. The spiky haired boy immediately got into a fighting stance; whoever was nearby sure had a very menacing chakra.

The noise coming from the trees let the Jinchuuriki know that whoever was there was aware that his presence was no longer a secret and did not seemed to care.

Hearing steps behind him, Naruto turned around to meet the owner of the terrifying chakra.

"It is nice to finally get a chance to meet you, Naruto-kun."

* * *

**Kisame –** I don't see much of an improvement…

**Itachi – **Are you kidding? You remember when my eyes bled in the manga?

**Kisame** – Yeah…

**Itachi –** It wasn't because of the Mangekyou Sharingan, it was from reading the original version.


	2. Breaking Point

**Itachi –** This chapter is being updated on 06-28-2010

**Kisame –** Why do you do that?

**Itachi –** To make sure the readers know when the rewrite was post it.

**Kisame –** I'm not talking about that!

**Itachi –** Then what?

**Kisame –** You'll see…

* * *

_**Breaking Point**_

"It is nice to finally get a chance to meet you, Naruto-kun."

The young shinobi immediately turned around. "Sa… Sasuke…?" The Jinchuuriki questioned the figure standing before him. _"No… It can't be Sasuke. This guy… His presence is frightening!"_ Naruto thought. Still, the appearance of the person in front of the genin was eerily similar to Sasuke's, with identical onyx color hair, and a face that would make the girls go crazy.

Taking a closer look, the blond realized several different aspects that prove his first theory wrong. The new comer was taller than Sasuke, had two long streaks between his eyes, and, perhaps the most apparent feature for the spiky haired boy, a scratched Leaf headband. There was no way that this person was Sasuke.

"Oh?" The man's voice snapped Naruto out of his thoughts. "I'm sorry, but I am not my dear little brother…" The stranger added with an amused tone.

The genin's eyes widened at the new revelation. _"Brother…? Wait a minute!"_

"_Naruto…" Sasuke said weakly after been caught by his teammate. "He… He's still out there… My brother…" The wounds that Haku had inflicted on him seemed to be making it hard for the Uchiha to even breathe. "I promised myself that I would stay alive… Until I kill him… Naruto, don't let your dream die…"_

This was him. The person who Sasuke wanted to kill so much, he had ended up killing his own personality.

"My name is Uchiha Itachi…" The missing nin casually presented himself. He was wearing a black cloak with a pattern of red clouds around it while a fully matured Sharingan shined ominously in his eyes. "You have no idea how long I wanted to meet you, Naruto-kun." The young man added.

At those words, the blond took a step back. "How do you know who I am?" The young shinobi asked.

The black haired man simply regarded the boy before him for a couple of seconds. "Oh? I know more about you that you may think, Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune." Itachi revealed with a hint of amusement.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. Even if the man in front of him had once being a Leaf nin once, he was too young to have fought the Kyuubi during its original attack on the village, which meant that the knowledge of the fox's true fate should have being kept a secret from him.

"For the expression in your face, I can infer that you already know of the existence of the Bijuu inside of you…" The young man let out a sound that resembled a short laugh. "Figures that they would break their own law." The Uchiha commented.

Narrowing his eyes at the older shinobi, Naruto's anger started to get the best of him. "So what if I know?" He asked. "What's it to you?"

The black haired man gave the faintest of shrugs. "I do not really care if they told you or not…" Itachi confessed. "What I am more interested in is in how much of the Bijuu's power you can control." The missing nin added.

"_Control?"_ The Jinchuuriki thought as his eyes widened once again. _"What the hell does he mean by that?"_ His mind ranted in confusion. The spiky haired boy could remember the power boost he had received from his contact with the fox's chakra during his battle with Haku, but he could not even begin to imagine that such thing could be controlled.

The pair of Sharingan eyes continued to analyze the young shinobi. "It seems that you have already being able to tap into the Kyuubi's chakra." Itachi correctly commented, finding some amusement in the blonde's surprised face. Those who truly knew Itachi would know that he having more fun that he had in years. "That is good, you are already starting to develop you abilities and begun growing into your role as Jinchuuriki, and with the Kyuubi as your Bijuu you will truly become a powerful one." The Uchiha finished.

Inside his head, Naruto brain was review the missing nin's words over and over again, but he just could not understand. "What the hell do you mean by my _role as Jinchuuriki_?" The boy questioned when he could not formulate and answer by himself.

A sigh escaped the black haired man, but decided to ease the genin's confusion. "Jinchuuriki means _human sacrifice_. It is a testament to how far the Hidden Villages are willing to go to secure power." The Sharingan user began explaining. "They are willing to doom one of their own into a life of isolation and hatred simply for a chance to harness the Bijuu's power and turn a human into a weapon."

Naruto remained silent after the older shinobi's words. "So… That's what I am…" His gazed dropped to the floor. "A human sacrifice… Meant to become a weapon…" He said with a low whisper.

"Yes." Itachi curtly confirmed. "And now that that's clear, I am going to ask you to come with me." The former Leaf nin said, knowing that form here on out things will get more complicated.

Immediately, the blonde's disposition changed into a defensive one. "What… What do you mean _coming with you_?" The spiky haired boy questioned as he took several steps back.

Another sigh escaped the missing nin. "You see, Naruto-kun… I am part of an organization called Akatsuki." He explained nonchalantly. "And it is in the organization's best interests to come to Konoha and _collect_ you." The Uchiha added. "Normally we work in pairs, but my partner had a little detour and could not make it tonight." The young man spoke as if he were discussing his favorite onigiri recipe. "I was supposed to wait until he came back to _secure_ you, but fortunately you decided to take a walk around the forest afterhours just to make it easier for me, I thank you for that." He finished.

As a defense mechanism, the genin shot back. "What? Are you so weak that you need a bodyguard just to enter the village?" Naruto exclaimed as fear and dread invaded his mind and clouded his judgment.

Itachi decided to play along. "No, it is not that, I simply would like to carry out missions with the least trouble possible." He answered as his Sharingan bored into the younger shinobi. "And it is notably difficult to sneak into a village where you once slaughtered one of its most prominent clans." The missing nin said with a small smirk. "Especially when it was you own…"

The revelation sent the Jinchuuriki into a world of shock. The spiky haired boy had heard that the Uchiha clan had being massacred in a single night, but he had never imagined that the culprit had being a single person. "So… So you're the reason why the Uchiha clan is no more… That's why Sasuke wants to kill you…!" The terrified blond stated.

The small smirk became slightly more marked. "Yes…" The young man moved his upper body faintly forwards as if giving spiky haired boy a small bow. "Uchiha Itachi, at your service…" Suddenly, a frightening killer intent permeated the surroundings.

Immediately, the younger shinobi turned around and started off towards the village. Naruto could not hear the missing nin's footsteps behind him, but he could feel the killer intent catching up with him, getting closer and closer for ever step forward that the blood took. Unexpectedly, the presence behind the blond vanished.

At the moment of false security, Naruto committed a grave error. Stopping his mad dash towards the village's gates, the spiky haired boy looked around trying to find where his pursuer had disappeared to.

All of a sudden, the genin felt a hand grab him by the collar, and, before the boy knew what had happened, his body was violently pinned against a tree. "Ok, Naruto-kun, now is time for you to come with me." Itachi said as his figure appeared right in front of the boy.

"Like hell I will!" The Jinchuuriki responded. Naruto flailed his legs trying to kick the Uchiha, but none of his kicks seemed to make contact.

With an impressive display of physical strength, the black haired man threw the blond towards another tree.

The blond hit the trunk with a sickening impact and fell to the ground. When he finally looked up, azure eyes met the Sharingan.

Right in front of the genin, the Uchiha's dojutsu started to transform. In each eye, the black comas seemed to change and come together until the formed what looked like a three pointed shuriken.

The only thing that Naruto was able to hear was the word "Tsukuyomi" being uttered with Itachi's voice, before he was unexpectedly tied up to the tree's trunk and his surroundings completely changed. _"What the hell just happened?"_ He thought. _"Where's that bastard? What is this place?"_ The boy questioned as he looked around one more time. The large number for trees in Konoha's forest had been severely scaled down, and the few that remained where all black and dead, and the dark night sky had been completely covered by a blood crimson color.

Suddenly, several figures of Itachi appeared surrounding the Jinchuuriki. The forms were completely black, except for the crimson color of their odd Sharingan eyes. "Welcome to the Tsukuyomi world, Naruto-kun." The Itachi right in front of the spiky haired boy said. "This is a jutsu that can only be created with these…" He took a moment to point at his strange dojutsu. "The Mangekyou Sharingan, the ultimate form of the Uchiha bloodline." The former Leaf nin informed.

Naruto simply remained silent, paralyzed by fear and dread.

"Now, this jutsu might only last for a second…" The black haired man continued, ignoring the younger shinobi's terror. "But take my word for it, it can feel like days." He added with a mocking tone. "Since the Tsukuyomi world give its caster complete control over reality…" The Uchiha said as raised one of his hands and a crow suddenly flew down and landed on it.

The bounded blond watched in shock as the raven in the missing nin's hand suddenly turn into a kunai and then into a katana.

"You are at my mercy for the next three days…" Itachi said, his tone getting darker with every word.

Naruto's eyes completely filled with terror. He was trapped inside a strange and frightening word controlled by a man who had killed his entire family in cold blood. Even his childhood beatings seemed like a fond memory compared to his current situation.

"Now…" The Uchiha's voice snapped the genin back into attention. "From what I have gathered, your teammates are my foolish littler brother and that pink haired girl that was all over him, right? And Kakashi-sempai is your jounin instructor, am I wrong?" The young man asked. "I am really disappointed of him, only looking after two of his students and leaving one of them without any form of training whatsoever…" He commented, letting his target know under how much surveillance he had been under.

Gritting his teeth at his captor's words, Naruto's gaze fell on the floor.

A faint smirk appeared in Itachi's face. "Do you want to know why he did that, Naruto-kun?" The black haired man asked. Suddenly, another Itachi appeared right next to the restricted Jinchuuriki, leaning closer to the boy's ear so that the genin could barely hear him whisper. "Because he hates you… All of them hate you…"

In an instant, Itachi and all of his replicas disappeared and three new figures started to emerge from the ground, taking the form of Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura, and each holding a kunai in hand.

The three clones stood in front of the captured Naruto and remained silent for a whole several minutes before Kakashi finally step forward. "It is time for you to pay for what you did to the village, demon!" The blond heard his sensei's voice exclaimed, echoing his nightmare.

"Ka…Kakashi-sen…"

Before the blond could finish, the fake jounin stabbed him in the gut with his kunai.

"Graaargh!" The Jinchuuriki screamed as the very real pain permeated his entire body. Panting heavily as his blood started to flow down to the ground, the young boy forced his head up to gaze at the figures of his teammates. "Sasuke… Sa… Sakura…" He let out.

The first to move was the black haired boy. "Everybody in the village hates you! We would all be better off if you just died!" The Uchiha proclaimed before his kunai impaled the blond.

Naruto's eyes were blinded for a few seconds, the genin didn't know if it was because of the horrifying pain that plagued his body, or from the terrible scream he let out due to said pain. Struggling with his blurry eye sight, the Jinchuuriki could barely discern a red and pink figure approaching him. "No… Not you too…" He said weakly.

Sakura's clone simply glared at the blond in response. "You have no idea how sickening it has being having to deal with you everyday!" She stated. "I despise you with all of my heart! Do us all a favor and die already!" The pink haired girl shouted before stabbing the boy in his chest, inches away from his crumbling heart.

"Gyaaargh!" The young genin's cry resounded through the crimson sky. Panting through the echo of his own screams, Naruto could not even find enough strength to raise his head again. "Why…? Why… Why do you hate me this much…?" The broken blond questioned. Tears ran down his sorrowful face and mixed with his blood in the ground.

Soon, the piercing pain of the kunais returned time and time again.

"Die!"

"I thought you cared for me!"

"Disappear!"

"I never did anything!"

"Why don't you just die?"

"Please…"

"We hate you!"

"Please… Stop…"

"There will never be a place for you in the village!"

"Stop…"

"We can't wait for your death!"

"Stop… I… I can't take it anymore…"

"Don't you see?" A dark and twisted version of Kakashi's voice said. "We don't care about you, we never did, all that we want is for you to die and rot in hell!"

Through pained cries and sobs, Naruto shook his head. "No…" The whisper was barely audible.

The stabs came in even faster, accompanied by the calls for the Jinchuuriki's death by the three attackers. As the torture continued, time became irrelevant, truth became twisted, the assailants' shouts became enhanced and hypnotic, and pain became overwhelming and all consuming, until.

"STOP!"

As if something had being ripped right from the fabric of the Tsukuyomi world, a powerful shockwave spread throughout the surroundings and the captured blond was covered by a light blue chakra. Out of sight, a faint smirk formed in Itachi's face as he watched the genin's chakra gradually turning orange and growing stronger with each passing second. _"Finally… He's starting to draw out the fox's chakra."_ The former Leaf nin reasoned as he continued to observe the situation develop.

"Gaaargh!" Naruto thoughts were torrential. The Bijuu's chakra was running rampant throughout his body and, with every passing moment, the blond could feel an overpowering hatred building up inside of him.

"**Kit!"** A new voice broke through the boy's turmoil. **"Calm down! You're absorbing too much chakra at an alarming rate, Kit!"** The voice sounded scared and desperate. **"Calm Down!"** It repeated its plea, but it was left unheard as the Jinchuuriki's chakra pull suddenly became stronger.

Already completely surrounded by the terrifying orange chakra, the genin was hyperventilating, feeling that his body would be crushed by the pressure of the sudden power surge until. "Gaaaaargh!" With a sudden spike of power, Naruto's chakra burst, taking a dark blue color and blowing all of this teammate's figures away. "I hate you… I HATE YOU All!" He screamed as his power continued to increase.

Sharingan eyes widened in surprise. _"Incredible, he was able to subjugate Kyuubi's chakra and his killer intent has become terrifyingly powerful!"_ The Uchiha thought in amazement.

"I will destroy everything! Everything!" The boy continued screaming. With each shout, the Tsukuyomi world's crimson sky flashed back to normal.

Worry started to seep into the missing nin. _"How is it possible…? He is actually breaking through Tsukuyomi…"_ The black haired man's mind raged.

The Jinchuuriki could feel the power building up inside of him. "THIS WORLD CAN GO TO HELL!" Naruto proclaimed, and with one more chakra spike, he sent an even more powerful shockwave blowing the Tsukuyomi world and its caster away.

The Sharingan user found himself back in the forest of Konoha with a cloud of dust hovering in front of him where his target had previously stood. Scanning the chaos of small debris as the dust begun to settle, Itachi could see the genin's figure started to become visible.

Naruto stood in the middle of a small crater gazing up at the sky, his eyes looking through the clouds, and setting on a bright and imposing moon. Ever so slowly, the Jinchuuriki's eyes lowered and focused on the former Leaf nin in front of him.

The Uchiha's Sharingan eyes widened in shock at the sight before them. "Impossible… There is no way…." He muttered. "How can he…?"

* * *

**Itachi – **So…?

**Kisame –** It's just that you come in and still the spotlight in the chapter, and I'm where?

**Itachi –** I can help it if I'm more popular than you.

**Kisame –** It's not fair.

**Itachi –** Hey, I did not ask to be the Straight Man just like you did not ask to be the Funny Man.

**Kisame –** I don't do funny!

**Itachi – **I'm talking about your appearance, that's where the money and the laughs are.


	3. Bloodlines Combined

**Itachi –** And here we have another rewrite being posted on 09-28-2010.

**Kisame –** I thought Phoenixsun said he wasn't going to do any more rewrites for a while…

**Itachi –** This chapter really needed it… Besides with Phoenixsun's update rate, one update takes a while.

**Kisame – **Why is it that you can poke fun of Phoenixsun all you want, but when I make one comment, he write a scene in which I'm beat up by the most unlikely character?

**Itachi –** Well, for starters, because I don't whine about every little thing like an annoying wuss. Now shut up and let's get going with the chapter…

* * *

_**Bloodlines Combined**_

Naruto stood in the middle of a small crater gazing up at the sky, his eyes looking through the clouds, and setting on a bright and imposing moon. Ever so slowly, the Jinchuuriki's eyes lowered and focused on the former Leaf nin in front of him.

The Uchiha's Sharingan eyes widened in shock at the sight before them. "Impossible… There is no way…." He muttered. "How can he…?" Itachi's eyes gazed directly into the genin's.

The blonde's eyes no longer held their shining sapphire hue. Instead, just like the boy's chakra, they had taken a dramatically darker tone into navy blue. Still, the most surprising and prominent features presented in Naruto's gaze were the three white commas accompanied by a white dot that appeared in both eyes.

"How can he have the Sharingan…?" The Akatsuki member questioned in astonishment.

Snapping out of his trance at the older shinobi's voice, Naruto's mind tried to process what the missing nin's words had meant. _"Sharingan… What is he talking about…?"_ The Jinchuuriki looked at this surroundings and he immediately sensed something was odd. To the young blonde's eyes, it was as if everything around him was in slow motion. Not a singly detail escaped the boy's gaze, from the fluttering leaves to the swaying branches, his eyes were capturing anything and everything.

A couple of feet away Itachi was finally starting to recover from the shock brought about by the new development. _"This certainly complicates things…"_ His Mangekyou narrowing as he reanalyzed the situation. "No matter what, I must act quickly now, otherwise…" The black haired man murmured to himself.

Naruto had already completely forgotten about the missing nin that had being torturing him a few moments ago. Instead, the blonde's eyes gazed around in a new trance. When his eyes finally caught sight of the strangely shaped Sharingan once again, the Jinchuuriki heard the word that had ignited his hell.

"Tsukuyomi…"

Immediately, the sky above the genin started to change. Dread started to seep into the young boy at the idea of spending anymore time that dark and cruel world, but no matter how much he searched his mind, he could not think of a way to stop the genjutsu.

"**Kit, your eyes! Send chakra to your eyes now!"** A voice thundered inside Naruto's head.

The Jinchuuriki was taken back by the sudden intrusion of his thoughts. _"Who are you?"_ The boy asked. _"Why are you in my head?"_ Despite not getting any answer, the blond decided to worry about it latter and follow the voice's advice nevertheless and channeled chakra towards his eyes.

Suddenly, some sort of flash of light went off in the clearing and Itachi found himself being thrown backwards, his back soon hitting a tree. _"What?"_ The Uchiha's mind raged. _"Did the fox do this?"_ He wondered as he looked at the Leaf nin standing in front of him. _"No… Only another Mangekyou could throw off the Tsukuyomi so easily…"_ The shocked missing nin reasoned.

The new turn of events filled the blond with confidence. Deciding to go into the offensive, Naruto took out a kunai and charged towards the black haired man.

Letting his trained reflexes take control, Itachi immediately took out a kunai of his own and brought it forward to block the incoming attack.

Both blade clashed with each other and sent a small shockwave through their surroundings. Because of his smaller size, Naruto was thrown back by the backlash of the impact, but landed safely on his feet while Itachi simply lost his balance and fell back against the tree again.

"_Damn it! My chakra is already running low after using Tsukuyomi…"_ The former Konoha shinobi thought. _"Damn you, Kisame… You were supposed to be here be here, you know how important this is."_ The Uchiha thought of his partner somewhere in the Land of Waves paying his respects to the grave of an old comrade. Fighting back the growing fatigue, Itachi stood up once more and straightened his cloak. "Well, Naruto-kun, this truly is an unexpected turn of events; you having the Sharingan, I mean." The Uchiha said casually. "To say it has complicated my plans would be an understatement." A small, ominous smirk appeared on the young man's face.

Despite the nonchalant tone of the missing nin's words, the Jinchuuriki could not help but still be unnerved by the cloaked nin's mere presence.

A dark snicker escaped the black haired shinobi at the sight of the blond taken a wary step back. "How about we leave your _capture_ for another day?" The smirk grew as the genin's strange Sharingan widened. "I will see you soon, Naruto-kun…" With those words, Itachi's body turned completely black and dissipated as a group of ravens, leaving a confused and astonish boy behind.

Once he was unable to feel the Uchiha's presence, Naruto let go of a heavy breath and fell into the ground. Looking up at the top of the trees, once again contemplating how the leaves still seemed to be moving at slow motion.

Several minutes passed until the Jinchuuriki jumped back onto his feet and made his way towards the village.

* * *

In his first stroke of luck in the whole day, the genin made it back to the gates just as they were about to close them off. The guards pay him no mind and he was careful not to do anything that might attract attention towards himself as he passed by them. Once officially inside the village, the boy jumped on top of a building and started to leap from roof to roof as he tried to organize his chaotic thoughts.

After a couple of minutes of hopping around, Naruto finally stopped. The blond knew that it had not being his teammates who tortured and attacked him inside the world created by the weird genjutsu, but, even though most of what the illusions had seen had being false, at least some of it was true.

The village saw him as nothing more than a demon, a social pariah, a target for all of their hatred. Who knows, after what he had seen earlier in the day, perhaps his teammates would truly react like that if they ever found out what he was, if they found out what dwelled inside of him.

With his current instability, there were only two persons that Naruto still felt he could really trust. Taking a deep breath, the Jinchuuriki turned around and started off towards the Hokage's building to find one of them.

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage, sat on his desk glaring at a mountain of paperwork courtesy of the upcoming Chunin Exams. Suddenly, the aged shinobi felt an exceptionally large chakra reading coming straight towards his office at an alarming speed.

Before the Third could leave his seat, the window in one side of the room snapped upon and an orange blur stepped into the room. The village leader would have attacked the intruder immediately were not for the familiar voice whispering "Old Man…"

The Hokage's eyes widened in surprise. "Naruto-kun, is that you? What brings you to my office at this hour?" He questioned, managing to compose himself right away. Upon further observation of the young shinobi, Sarutobi was left speechless at the even bigger surprise that greeted him. "Naruto… Your eyes…" The Third whispered.

A pair of blue and white Sharingan eyes looked from the older Leaf nin onto the floor. "So it is true…" Naruto commented. The Jinchuuriki started to look around the room until he found a small mirror and walked towards it.

The sight that greeted the genin was that of a blond young man with a pair of blue and white Sharingan eyes. The fully developed dojutsu shined with an ominous luster in pools of night blue color.

"Naruto-kun…" The Sandaime's words snapped the spiky haired boy out of his thoughts. "Please, tell me what happened." The older shinobi requested.

The Jinchuuriki spent the next hour telling the Hokage everything that had happened to him on that day, from Team Seven's meeting by the bridge, to his trip out of the village, the encounter with the missing nin Uchiha Itachi, and culminating with him rejecting the Tsukuyomi genjutsu. Everything was laid bear in front of the leader of Konohagakure.

By the end of his tale, Sarutobi looked the oldest that Naruto had ever seen him. The old man's breath was labored and the tears that threatened to spill only complemented his pained expression.

Naruto had to look away. He really did not like to see his Hokage looking so weak and feeble. "But… What I don't understand…" The spiky haired boy started again. "Is how do I have the Sharingan?" He brought into question.

The Third sighed and took a minute to compose himself. "I am truly sorry, Naruto-kun, for I have kept much from you." The seasoned shinobi informed before standing up from his chair and walking towards a drawer. "I never imagined that something like this would happen…" He commented as he searched the drawer until he pulled out a blue folder from it. Sarutobi walked back to his desk and sat down.

The genin quietly waited as the aged man regarded the blue folder for several minutes before the Hokage opened it, took out a photograph, and gave it to him.

Looking down at the picture, a pair of Sharingan eyes widened. It was a picture of a young woman wearing a red variant of the Konoha jounin's uniform, and she was the most beautiful being that the Leaf nin had ever seen. She had alabaster skin that contrasted with her long and dark onyx hair, and a vibrant smile that would light up the darkest and stormiest of days. Naruto didn't know why, but for some reason he could not stop the tears that ran down his face as he gazed at the photo.

"Her name is Uchiha Kagome." Sarutobi's voice cut through the blonde's trance. "She was one of the Leaf's most promising kunoichi." He said with a mix of pride and nostalgia. "Her exploits during the last war earned her the name of the Uchiha's Crimson Raven due to her mastery over the Sharingan and her… Tendency of using crows as a theme for her jutsus, especially genjutsus." The Sandaime seemed lost in a memory. "Yes… She was especially skilled in genjutsu. She could easily fool an entire room filled with member of the Uchiha and Hyuuga clan and no one would ever realize it."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "She… Was…?"

The aged shinobi closed his eyes for a second. "Yes…" He sorrowfully answered. "She died the day the Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked after giving birth to her son." Sarutobi's eyes set on the young genin as the boy's widened. "She is your mother, Naruto-kun…" He revealed.

Out of sheer surprised, the younger shinobi had to take a step back. "What do you mean _my mother_? I'm not an Uchiha! I don't even look like one!" The boy protested as his eyes glared at the Hokage's.

The Sandaime gaze dropped to the floor momentarily before moving up towards the portraits of the previous Hokages. "Yes, you do not look like a member of the Uchiha clan… But that is because you inherited your physical traits from your father, Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage." Sarutobi stated.

Naruto's eyes almost doubled in size as they widened. "The Fourth...? Is my father?" He exclaimed, unable to believe what he was hearing.

The Third nodded. "Yes… Few people knew of the relationship between Minato and Kagome, and even less people knew that they were expecting a child." The village leader informed. "After you were born and became an orphan, we thought it would be safer to give you another name. Your parents already had their share of enemies, and the child of an elite Uchiha and a Hokage would not go unnoticed by the shinobi world. So, in order to protect you, you became Uzumaki Naruto." Sarutobi said as guilt hung strongly onto his voice.

"Heheh…" A dull and mirthless laugh escaped the blond. "I always wondered about my parents…" The boy confessed. "I came to think that perhaps I never had any and instead I just sprout right out of the ground." The tears that ran down his cheeks framed his frail and fake smile. "But I guess that I did have parents, even if it was for only an hour or so…"

Sarutobi would not have being surprised if his eyes were crying too. "Yes you did, Naruto-kun." He started. "And both of them loved you with all of their hearts." The aged man assured the young boy. "Kagome put her life on the line to bring you into this world and Minato gave up his to create a seal that would allow the Kyuubi's chakra to flow into you so that it would protect you." The Thrid gave the spiky haired genin a couple of minutes to let his words sink in. "Their last whish was for you to grow up into a strong and healthy man that would be able to accomplish any and all of his dreams. I was planning to tell you all of this once you were ready, and I am sorry I did not realized that you have being for a long time now." The Hokage stressed his apology by given the blond a small bow.

Another smiled formed on the Jinchuuriki's face, and, though small, this one stronger and brighter. Even if he didn't fully show it, the young man was the happiest he had being ever since he became a shinobi. The knowledge of who his parents had being and the fact that he was truly loved by them filled the genin with warmth. Still, somewhere in his joy, something captured boy's attention. "Hold on a second, Old Man." The blond said. "You mentioned that you never expected that I would awaken the Sharingan, why is that?" He questioned.

The Hokage sighed, he knew that that this question was fast approaching. "Well, you see, the Namikaze and Uchiha bloodlines are too dominant. They tend to overpower any other genetic traits that they come in contact with. The idea that the two bloodlines would found a middle ground and compromise with each other was unthinkable." The Third watched as the spiky haired boy brought a hand to his eyes. "So, when I looked at you for the first time and saw that you were the spitting image of your father, I thought that the Namikaze bloodline had won out."

Naruto nodded in acknowledgment at the explanation. "So… This Sharingan is…"

It was the Sandaime's turn to nod. "Prove that I was wrong and that the Uchiha and Namikaze traits somehow found a way to fuse together." Sarutobi stated. "From what you told me, I think that it is safe to infer that, when you started to forcibly drain the Kyuubi of his chakra, it worked as a catalyst that combined the two bloodlines." He explained and waited for the young shinobi to show his understanding. "And I even venture the guess that, after what you said happened when Itachi tried to use his genjutsu a second time, your Sharingan is showing traits of the Magenkyou Sharingan, the next step in the Uchiha dojutsu."

A pensive look took over the Jinchuuriki's features. "Yes… Itachi had it… A weirdly shaped Sharingan." Naruto pointed out.

The Hokage considered his words for a couple of minutes. "Do you eyes feel tired, Naruto-kun?" He asked, realizing that the young genin must have had his dojutsu activated since it was first awakened.

The Jinchuuriki looked at the older shinobi with a confused face. "No, not really…" The boy responded as he shook his head.

"Do me a favor and please concentrate in cutting off the chakra flow to you eyes, Naruto-kun." The Sandaime requested. The village leader watched as the white comas disappeared from the blonde's eyes and the dark blue color reverted to their original sapphire hue.

Naruto blinked several time as the strange slow motion sensation he had being feeling disappeared. Effortlessly shaking off the weird feeling, everything went back to normal for the genin.

Sarutobi waited for the young man to give him a sign that he was ok before starting again. "The Mangekyou Sharingan is a very a very corrosive kekkei genkai. Even after its first use, the casters are left exhausted, drained of most of their chakra, and actually experiencing physical pain. The fact that you can stand there before me shows that your Sharingan should be able to access the Mangekyou's abilities while bypassing its terrible toll."

The young Jinchuuriki was genuinely surprised by the revelation, remembering how the fluttering leaves looked through his Sharingan and his escape from Itachi's second try at the strange genjutsu.

Suddenly, the Hokage stood up from his chair. "I have something for you, Naruto-kun, please wait a moment." He announced as he stepped out of the room, leaving the genin alone in the office.

Naruto collapsed onto one of the chairs in the room. A lot had happened during the last couple of hours and the blond was still letting it sink in. **"Some day we're having, don't you think so, Kit?"**

At the sound of those words, the Leaf nin jumped out of his chair. "Who are you?" He called out.

"**Heheh…"** The laughter sounded very close to the spiky haired boy. "**Are you so stupid that you already forgotten what that Mizuki bastard told you, Kit?"** The voice questioned.

The Jinchuuriki's eyes widened. "The Fox!" He exclaimed. "Since when can you talk to me?" The genin asked astonished.

Another laugh escaped the Bijuu, but it soon turned sour. **"Since you severely weakened the seal as you stole most of my chakra."** The fox bitterly commented. **"Talk about hollowed victories, right, Kit?"**

Sapphire eyes narrowed. "What do you mean _most of your chakra_?" He asked with caution.

"**I mean just that, idiot!"** Kyuubi exclaimed inside his head, making the young shinobi cringe. **"You took almost all of my chakra and now I'm as dangerous as the monster you thought lived by the vegetable products aisle at the market!"** The fox exclaimed.

Naruto had to scratch his head at the new revelation. "So… I'm as powerful as you… Umh… Were?"

"**Hah!"** The sealed Bijuu laughed. **"Now, listen here Kit and listen well, you may have possession of my chakra, but there is no way in hell that you can control it as you are now."** The fox explained. **"You are just as strong as you were this morning, sans despicable dojutsus of course, the only difference right now is that your colossal chakra supply just got larger."**

The blond nodded at the Kyuubi's words as he sat down again. "Then where do we stand now, regarding your chakra?"

The once feared entity took a couple of moments to think the question over. **"You would still need to learn how to properly tap into it and control it."** He informed his host. **"And believe me when I said this, it is going to be a hard and painful process… Heheh."** The Bijuu added, taking joy at the wince from his jailer. **"But don't worry, those damn eyes of yours should help you with it."** He added, opting to appease the boy a bit.

"Ok…" Naruto muttered. "But then what's going to happen to you, now that your chakra is gone?"

The dark laugh that the fox let out did not set to well with the blond. **"Aww, worry about me, are you?"** He teased. **"It seems that this is it for me. I will be doomed to spend the rest of my life wandering around in this poor excuse of a mind, watching everything that you do, and pointing out all of your flaws.**" Kyuubi announced a dumbstruck blond. **"Think of me as your brand new conscience."**

The Jinchuuriki sighed in frustration through the Bijuu's laugher. _"Oh good, I get a new conscious whose idea of a good time is leveling an entire village to the ground…"_ The boy thought, renewing the laughter for his tenant.

After several minutes passed, Sarutobi reentered the room carrying a couple of scrolls with him. "Well Naruto-kun, since Kakashi seems to have neglected your training, I will be taking over." The Hokage announced, allowing himself a small smile at the look of surprise in the genin's face. "Sadly, I have to deal with some official matters regarding the Chunin Exam, meaning that we will not be able to start your training until at least next week, so I am leaving you some homework until then." The Sandaime added as he placed the scrolls on the table.

Naruto could not help himself and, at the mention of the word homework, his mind flashbacked to his academy days, causing the Jinchuuriki to groan in frustration. Nevertheless, the blond picked up the scroll closes to him and started looking over it.

A small chuckled escaped the Hokage as he separated a group of scrolls from the rest. "The scroll that you are reading, along with these, contain information about couple of jutsus that I thought it would be good for you to learn." He informed before setting aside three other parchments. "While these three regard the Uchiha clan, a bit of its history, fighting style, special jutsus related to the clan, as well as information about the Sharingan."

The spiky haired boy nodded his understanding of the older shinobi's words. Watching over the scrolls presented in front of him, the blonde's eyes set on the small black scroll that the village leader had kept isolated from the others.

"And this last one…" The Third continued as he picked the black scroll. "Contains information on the Mangekyou Sharingan, as well as instruction on how to use its two special jutsus, Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu, I am particularly incline for you to learn those two techniques." Sarutobi said as he handed the small scroll to his new student. "I want you to read all of this material during the last couple of days. You do not have to put it to practical use just yet, but I expect for you to know all this information before we start training, am I clear?" He asked.

The Jinchuuriki nodded to accept his task before he started to gather the scrolls and the Hokage moved back to his chair.

Sitting behind his desk once more, the Sandaime regarded the genin. "Now, I want you to consider for a moment before you answer me this question." The experienced shinobi waited until the sapphire orbs fell on him. "You are old enough to decide this for yourself… Do you want me to make your heritage public, Naruto-kun?" He asked.

The boy's eyes fell to the floor as he pondered. After a several minutes in silence, Naruto lifted his gaze back to the Hokage. "No." He said in a determined, but solemn voice.

Accepting the genin's answerd, the Third continued. "And what about Kakashi?" The blond remain pensive for a while before nodding. "How much should I tell him?"

The blond sighed as he considered. "You can tell him about my parents…" He finally answered. "But not about my Sharingan… I… I don't want him to know about it…" The spiky haired boy said as his fist tightened.

"Very well, Naruto-kun." Sarutobi said before giving the younger Leaf nin a smile. "That only leaves us with the matter of your Sharingan." He announced.

A confused look was directed towards the village leader. "My Sharingan…?" The genin asked.

Nodding, the Third's smile grew slightly. "Yes. From what you told me, your Sharingan differs from any other of its variants, making it a new dojutsu." The aged man explained. "So, as a new dojutsu, it needs a name."

Naruto was taken back by the announcement for a couple of seconds before he started thinking over it. Gradually, the young man's eyes drifted towards to open window in the office as he contemplated his dojutsu. "Sky…" The Jinchuuriki said before returning his gaze to the Hokage. "Sora Sharingan… Its name is Sora Sharingan." The shinobi declared.

The Hokage nodded and smiled warmly once more. The blond gave his leader a small bow before starting to walk toward the door. Suddenly, the genin stopped on his tracks. "Is something wrong, Naruto-kun?" Sarutobi asked with concern.

Sapphire eyes shined brightly as the blond looked back. "No…" He said. "I just wanted to thank you… For everything, Old Geezer…" The spiky haired boy said before giving the older shinobi a true, real smile, before turning around and walking out of the office.

A sigh escaped the Sandaime. "It is good to see that this terrible ordeal was not able to fully break your vibrant spirit, Naruto-kun." The Hokage whispered to himself as he smiled.

* * *

**Kisame –** Hah! Who's the wuss now?

**Itachi –** …

**Kisame – **I want to frame this chapter and put it up in my room!

**Itachi – **…

**Kisame – **The great Itachi beaten up by a genin! Hahahah…! What are you doing with a mace club…?

**Itachi –** I think I'll give you a five second head start, how does that sound? 5… 4…

**Kisame – **(Runs away)

**Itachi –** And that's why I get away with things and you don't... As last note, please ignore all the mentions of the "Uzumaki bloodline" and Minato as "Arashi" in the chapters that have yet to be rewritten.


	4. Please Forgive Me

**Kisame – **Here's the fourth chapter to be rewritten. Posted on 06-16-2011.

**Itachi –** Did it feel good getting to do the announcement this time?

**Kisame – **Yes, a bit. I don't know why I you have to hog the glory all to yourself every time.

**Itachi –** Whatever… This rewrite is courteously brought you by Zoc Felfire.

**Kisame –** Because we know that Phoenixsun is too ashamed of himself to even look at his previous works anymore

**Itachi – **Watch it…

* * *

_**Please Forgive Me**_

The Third sat in his office early in the morning. He had sent somebody to look for Kakashi and, knowing him, Hiruzen had at least two hours before he showed up. Sighing, the Hokage tried to find something to distract himself. Briefly he considered one of those colorful books that Jiraiya had sent him.

Suddenly, with a cloud of smoke, the Copy Ninja appeared in the Hokage's office, just as the seasoned shinobi had build up enough courage to start reading his previous student's novel. "You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?" The silver haired man asked.

"Yes Kakashi… I wanted to talk to you about Naruto." Sarutobi replied. "Did you know that he was attacked last night?" He questioned.

"What happened? Is He alright?" Shocked at the piece of news, the jounin immediately asked in concern. Then, after a second, anger at his student being attacked started to set in. "Who did it?" He asked, expecting it to be one of those brainless villagers that still viewed Naruto as a demon. The answer he received, surprised him even more than the news that one of his genin students was attacked within the past twenty four hours.

Sarutobi looked directly into Kakashi's eye and responded. "Uchiha Itachi."

Needless to say, it took the Hayate's brain a couple of seconds to process the fact that an S rank criminal had attacked one of his students. "You can't be serious, Hokage-sama. Uchiha Itachi attacking Naruto? How could that happen?"

The Hokage looked at the Copy Ninja with a bit of disappointment. "It seems that after you team meeting, Naruto was feeling a bit distraught… So he decided to take a break from the ignorance of the villages and fell asleep outside the village." He informed. "It was when he was making his way back that he was attacked by the missing-nin, Uchiha Itachi." Sarutobi explained.

Kakashi kept silent for a few moments. He knew too well what the Sandaime had meant by _distraught_. "Hokage-sama, you have to understand… I feel it is my obligation with Obito… Sasuke is from the same clan and he needs somebody to train him on his bloodline." The silver haired man tried to get his point across. "And I believe that I am the best choice, since I'm the only one who still have a Sharingan and is still affiliated to the village." He said in his defense.

The Third simply shook his head in responds. "So you owed to you fallen teammate?" He reiterated the point that the younger shinobi had tried to make. "What about your sensei? You do know that Naruto is his son, do you not?" The Hokage asked.

The Copy Ninja looked down at the floorl. He was one of the few people that actually knew that Naruto was the Yondaime's son, though he never knew who the mother was, but still he could not help but feel that his debt with Obito was far larger. "I know, Hokage-sama, but still, Sasuke is that last of Obito's clan! He would have wanted me to train him!" The jounin desperately wanted to explain himself.

By now, the Hokage was beginning to get angry. "You think that Obito would have wanted you to focus only on training Sasuke?" Sarutobi's eyes wer e a combination of anger and disappointment. "Please, do not insult his memory."

The comment hurt Kakashi. How could the Hokage even think that he would do anything to insult his teammate's momory?

But Kakashi did not have time to voice his opinion as the Sandaime started again. "First Obito would not even think of giving one student preference over another; that is something that your sensei tried to teach you." He began. "Second, your tea is the exact image as your old one. You have a famous teacher, except that in this new team the instructor seems to like playing favorites, you have a prodigy, a girl who tries to keep everyone together, and a boy that some consider thrash but actually has incredible potential." The Thrid stated. "Now tell me, who has Obito's position in this team?" Sarutobi questioned.

Kakashi was silent for a few seconds. Slowly, the shame that he felt started to turn into anger. "So you want me to leave Sasuke and go train Naruto, since he's your favorite…" The Copy Ninja did not ask.

"No I just want you to stop saying that it is because of Obito." The Hokage stated firmly. "The truth is that you want to train Sasuke simply because of his natural talent and because he reminds you of how you used to be." The Sandaime said, raising his voice.

"It's not that!" Kakashi tried to defend himself.

"Yes it is!" The Third insisted. "Because if you would have had the slightest bit of interest in Naruto, you would have found out that you owed to Obit to take care of him!" The Hokage said. Deep in his heart, the seasoned shinobi was going to enjoy seeing Kakashi's face after the jounin heard what he was about to reveal.

"What do you mean…?" The silver haired man asked with caution.

Sarutobi continued to stare down the younger man. "You never bothered to find out who Naruto's mother was, did you Kakashi?" The Hokage questioned.

Now Kakashi was confused. "What does Naruto's mother have to do in all of this?" The Copy Ninja asked.

"If you have bothered to investigate, you would have find out that Naruto's mother was Uchiha Kagome." The Sandaime finished.

The silver haired man was surprised once again. That piece of information had shocked him beyond anything that they had talked about until then. "You don't mean…" The man said weakly.

"Yes, Naruto's mother was Uchiha Obito's sister." The Hokage responded. "Naruto is your fallen teammate's nephew. He's more connected to that eye of yoru than Sasuke could ever be." Sarutobi revealed.

Kakashi sat down as he shock had not subsided completely. The silver haired shinobi brought his hand up to his covered eye. How could he have done this? How could he have done this to Naruto? To Obito? To his own sensei?

"Does he have a Sharingan?" Kakashi finally asked.

Even thought the Hokage would have very much enjoyed telling the jounin the truth, he had already promised Naruto that he would not. "No…" He answered. "You know that the Namikaze and the Uchiah clan were very different. I do not think that Naruto would be able to activate it since it seems that his Namikaze heritage have overpowered the Uchiha."

Kakashi nodded numbly.

"And you do not have to worry about Naruto's training anymore." The Third continued. "From now, until the Chunin Exam starts, I will be supervising his training." The Sandaime finished.

The Copy Ninja nodded once again and asked to be dismissed.

The Hokage knew that Kakashi had a lot to think about and decided to let him go.

The silver haired jounin walked aimlessly through the village four hours. It was almost six o'clock in the afternoon, around the time when rain started to fall, that Kakashi found himself in front of the memorial stone. The man fell on his knees and starred at the name _Uchiha Obito_.

"I'm sorry…" He muttered. "The Hokage is right… The reason why I wanted to train Sasuke was because he's a _prodigy_ and I've been using your name as a way to justify myself." The jounin admitted. "And to top it all, I ignored and neglected Naruto… My student… Your nephow… Sensei's son…" He chocked for a second. " I failed you and Minato-sensei… Please… Forgive me." Kakashi begged and finally started his way home. On the way, tears fell from bothhis eyes and beneath his headband.

* * *

It was the moring of the Chunin Exam and Naruto was currently at the Hokage's office. The Sandaime had called him to the tower earlier that morning, telling him that he needed to meet him right away. Five minutes later, the blodn was knocking on the Hokage's window, and now he was waiting around as the seasoned shinobi searched the room for something.

"Ah! Here it is!" Sarutobi exclaimed as he held a scroll.

Naruto noticed that the Namikaze clan's symbol was imprinted on the scroll's seal. "What is that, Old Man?" The genin asked, looking at the parchment with curiosity.

"Well, since you have done so well in your training and learned very single jutsu in the scrolls I gave you, I have decided to you this." He signaled to the scroll. "Think of it as a present for all of your hard work." The Sandime gave the young man the parchment. "It is a summoning scroll for an ancient weapon." The Third explained. "Only a member of the Namikaze clan are able to summon it and use it." The Hokage said smiling. "The hand seals necessary for the summoning are inside as well."

Naruto opened his present. Inside were the series of hand seals needed, a bunch of stuff the ignored, and some sort of symbol similar to the Namikaze insignia as its center.

"Normally, you would need to carry the scroll everywhere and use it to perform the summoning jutus by placing a bit of your blood into the seal." The Third commented. "But since this is a specific clan jutus, you can replace the scroll with a summoning tattoo… In fact, if you hurry, you could get the tattoo done before the Chunin Exam starts, Naruto-kun." The Hokage said, smiling at the young shinobi.

The spiky haired blond closed the scroll and looked at the Hokage. "Thanks, Old Man." The Jinchuuriki said with a half a smile as he turned around and jumped out of the window.

* * *

Several hours later, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi were standing outside Room 301, waiting for the last member of their team. "Kakashi-sensei, where is Naruto?" Sakura asked. "The exam begins in a few minutes and he still hasn't shown up."

The Uchiha was pacing in the hall anxiously. "Is he coming?" The young man asked.

"I'm sure he is." The silver haired jounin responded. "He'll be here, don't worry…" He said, his eyes shifting back and forth, almost nervously. "But before he does, there is something really important that I need to talk to you two about." He suddenly started again. "It's about Naruto… You see, during this past month he has… Sort of changed." The man informed.

"What do ou mean, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked in confusing. "How did he changed.

Kakashi did not really how to answer the girl's question. The Hokage had only said that Naruto was not the same anymore, but he had not given any specifics, and the silver haired shinobi had been unable to muster enough courage to face the spiky haired boy during the previous month. In fact, the famed nin was not sure if he would be able to face him now.

Before the jounin had time to make up an answer for the pink haired kunoichi's question, all three Leaf nins heard footsteps comng from down the hall.

All three turned around to see who was coming, they try to figure out who was walking towards them, but it was not until they saw the whisker marks on his face that they recognized him. "Naruto…" Sakura said in a low voice.

The two genin were left dumbfound. Their teacher saying that the blond had _changed_ was a massive understatement, since, from their perspective, it seemed that the boy had undergone a complete transformation. His orange jumpsuit and blue sandals were gone, now the spiky haired teen wore a pair black sandals, dark blue pants, a navy color undershirt, and a black, long-sleeved jacket over it. A spiral symbol was presnt on the backside of his jacket and on the shoulder, and his hair had grown a lot longer during the mast month since it almost covered his Leaf headband now.

Naruto passed them without saying a single word. The only prove of acknowledgement between the members of Team Seven was the small second in which the blodn genin looked directly at his teammate's eyes.

When the Jinchuuriki was in front of the door, he stopped and looked back. "It's time for us to enter." Naruto said with a monotonous voice as he pushed the door open.

All three genin entered the testing room. Immediately, they were welcomed with the glares from all other participants.

"Sasuke-kun!" Suddnely, a blue and yellow appeared on Team Seven's field of view and latched itself onto the Uchiha. Anger started to seep into Sakura right away.

"Stop bothering Sasuke-kun, Ino-pig!" Sakura shouted at the girl that was hugging the raven haired boy.

"This is so troublesome." A black haired boy said lazily as he approached the group while a boy eating potato chips followed fight behind him.

Naruto, who was not paying much attention to the two girls bickering, turned his gaze towards his former classmates Shikamaru and Chouji as the stood before the group for a second before looking back up to the roof.

"_Whoa! I sthat Naruto? I can't be! He never looked so serious or stood so quiet before"_ The Nara though as he regarded the blond leaning against the wall.

"Well… It seems that the Rookie Nine are all together again!" An arrogant voice was heard as Kiba made his way towards the others, his dog, Akamaru, barking from inside of the boy's jacket. Behind the Inuzuka were, a blue haired girl with pale eyes and a boy wearing sunglasses. Hinata and Shino followed the hooded teen as he reached the group. Kiba took a second to look at everyone. "Hold on a second!" He suddenly said. "Where is the Dobe? I don't see him anywhere!" The brown haired boy wondered out loud.

It was at that moment that the member of the Rookie Nine felt a strong aggressive presence spike up in the room. All of their eyes turned to the source, and, for the first time, that the rest of Teams Eight and Ten noticed the blond leaning against the wall.

"Naruto! Is that you?" Kiba called out. "Due you've changed!" The Inuzuka said as he walked towards the spiky haired boy. The hooded teen stopped on his track the moment his eyes met Naruto's. A cold chill went down the brown haired boy's back.

"Hey… Billboard-brow, what happened to Naruto?" Ino asked in a whispered as she moved closer to her former best friend.

The pink haired girl bit her lips. " I don't know Ino-pig." She answered. "It's the first time that I've seen him in a month… Something must have happened during that period of time." The Haruno said.

"You guys are really causing a bad first impression." A gray haired Leaf nin wearing glasses said as he walked towards them. "Especially the blond one with the attitude."

Sasuke immediately stepped forward. "And who are you suppose to be?" The raven haired boy asked the older shinobi.

"My name is Yakushi Kabuto." The young man responded. "And you guys should try to keep a low profile… You are the Rookie Nine after all, already infamous around here, and this year's bunch is pretty tense as it is." He commented as he glanced around the room. "In all my year of taking these exams, I've never seen such a touch group of genins brought together."

The younger nins looked around as well. All they found were glares.

"For example…" Kabuto started again. "You have the team from Hidden Rain, they're extremely irritable… Not to mention the genins from Suna, especially the one with the gourd on his back, he gives me the creeps." The grey haired teen admitted.

"You seem to know a lot about this exam." Sakura commented with curiosity.

"Well, that comes with the territory when this is your seventh time taking the exam…" Kabuto said, blushing slightly in embarrassment and scratching the back of his head. "But each try bring new things." He said as he composed himself. "Like the team from Otogakure, it's the first time in this exam, and they just get to sent one team since they're such a small village." The grey haired genin informed.

Suddenly, someone from the crow threw a pair of kunai at Kabuto. The Leaf genin was able to dodge them with ease, but then a boy covered in bandaged appeared right in front of the grey haired genin and swung his fist forward at the Konoha nin's face.

Just barely, Kabuto was able to move his head back and evade that attack as well. When everything seemed fine, the Leaf genin's glass suddenly broke and he started spewing blood from the mouth and the ears.

"Don't think lightly of the Sound." The bandaged boy said as a girl with long hair and boy with blue haired walked forward and stood by him.

"Yeah! By the end of the exam all three of us Oto nin will be…" The boy started to say but suddenly stopped when he felt something on the back of his neck. Between him and the bandaged genin stood Naruto with a kunai held up to both of their necks.

"I think that the two of you should calm down." The blond said in a monotonous tone. "Unless you want to start something…" Naruto finished, pushing the blades even closer to their necks.

* * *

**Itachi –** So that's the chapter. Once again we would like to thank Zoc Felfire for rewriting this chapter.

**Kisame –** Hey! What the hell? I thought I was supposed to work point on this chapter!

**Itachi –** Like anyone cares what you think.


	5. Do Not Underestimate Me

**Itachi –** This rewrite is being posted on 09-02-2012.

**Kisame –** In a span of three weeks… Phoenixsun has updated this fic twice and rewritten one of the chapters…

**Itachi –** You're point?

**Kisame – **I don't like it…! It's too much work.

**Itachi – **Sigh… Is there anything you won't complain about?

**Kisame –** More screenings of Jaws.

* * *

_**Do Not Underestimate Me**_

"Don't think lightly of the Sound." The bandaged boy said as a girl with long hair and boy with blue haired walked forward and stood by him.

"Yeah! By the end of the exam all three of us Oto nin will be…" The boy started to say but suddenly stopped when he felt something on the back of his neck. Between him and the bandaged genin stood Naruto with a kunai held up to both of their necks.

"I think that the two of you should calm down." The blond said in a monotonous tone. "Unless you want to start something…" Naruto finished, pushing the blades even closer to their necks.

The Sound shinobi were astonished, they had seen the blond genin leaning against the wall and away from the rest of the group before they attacked. None of them sensed him move until he appeared between them.

Before things could escalade, the doors to the room were pushed wide open and the instructors appeared. "Quiet down!" A Leaf nin with scars on his face exclaimed, causing many of the genin present to jolt in surprise, before he walked into the room followed by several chunin. "I do not want any trouble between Leaf and Sound." The tall man firmly stated as he glare down at Naruto and the Oto ninjas.

The blond looked straight back at the older shinobi's eyes, but never the less he pulled his blades back and moved away from the Sound genin.

"Now… My name is Morino Ibiki…" The man announced to the rest of the room. "And I will be your instructor for the first part of the Chunin Exam!" He declared before slamming the large stack of papers he had been carrying in the desk at the front of the room. "Take your seats so we may begin." The jounin finished.

Quietly, Naruto moved to his seat without saying anything to his teammates or to his former classmates. As he sat there, the spiky haired boy look to his side just as a very nervous Hinata took the seat next to her.

Every so often, the Hyuuga would steal a glance at the blond as she fidgeted with her fingers.

The Uzumaki could see that the kunoichi was a nervous wreck. Whether it was because of the Exam or because of his display with the Sound nin, the Sharingan user did not know, but still felt guilty about it. So then, for the first time in the last month, Naruto gave a small smile when he knew she was looking, hopping it someone reassure the young girl.

Her face got several shades redder, but nevertheless the Hyuuga seemed calmer afterwards.

* * *

A couple of hours later, the members of Team Seven were waiting for the second part of the Exam to start. _"At least that tedious first part is done with…"_ Naruto thought. _"That test's intentions could not have been clearer."_ He reasoned as his hand checked that all his gear was ready for the next phase. _"With all the chunin in the room and so much emphasis on cheating, it was obvious what they wanted."_ The Jinchuuriki reasoned.

Even though the Uzumaki had deduced the objective of the written test, he had decided to temp his fate and prove his theory.

A light chuckle escaped the blond. _"I kind of wish I could see that jounin's face when he finds my test." _He thought as his mind drifted to the piece of paper back in the room in which he had only written his name and left everything else blank.

Hearing his teammate's quiet laugh, Sakura glanced at Naruto nervously. She had been beyond shock at how much he had changed in such a short time and the fact that he had barely said anything to her or to Sasuke made her even more worried.

Feeling eyes on him, the Sharingan user glanced at his side once again, this time finding his pink haired teammate observing him.

The Haruno waited a couple of seconds as she gazed at the blonde's sapphire eyes. The twinkle in those eyes that the spiky haired boy had always directed at her was completely missing. Instead, they seemed passive, perhaps even dull, as if he could not care any less about what she had to say.

Gathering her courage, Sakura finally spoke up. "Uhm… Naruto…" She started, but her words were cut off when the gates to the forest suddenly opened.

Immediately, all the genin rushed in to start the second phase of the Exam. The killer intent emanating from the forest was enough to wipe everything else away from the genin's minds.

* * *

"_I had expected to run into more challenges by now…"_ Naruto pondered as he and the rest of Team Seven sat on a small clearing, taking a break five hours into the second part of the Exam. _"So far all that we have seen was a weak group of Rain nin… And they ended up running away soon after…"_ The blond thought with a bit of disappointment.

During these last couple of hours, the members of Team Seven had come to the silently agree to continue to make their way deeper into the forest while keeping an eye out for any team that might be carrying the Earth Scroll they needed to pass. In all honesty, Naruto had expected to find several teams within the time period that had passed, but he had been severely wrong.

"I'm going to go ahead and scout the area…" The blond suddenly announced, surprising the other two genin with the longest sentence he had said to them since that fateful day on the bridge. Before either of the two was able to recompose and object, the spiky haired boy had already disappeared among the trees.

A sight escaped Sakura. "What… What do you think happened to him…?" She asked the raven haired boy near hear, her worries about their teammate's sudden and drastic change havening become too much to bear in silence.

"I don't know…" Sasuke responded simply with a frown. "He definitely feels… Odd…" He added as he recalled how the blond acted the last time the Uchiha had seen him and how different it was from his current attitude. "It's like he…" The boy stopped in mid sentence when he suddenly felt a terrifying amount of chakra being gathered somewhere close by. Too close for the Sharingan user's comfort. "Sakura! Move out of the way!" He shouted.

The two Leaf nin jumped from where they were sitting just before a powerful blast of wind burst right through with enough force to tear a tree off its place.

Immediately activating his Sharingan, Sasuke started to look around the forest for the source of the attack. "So there you are…" A menacing voice echoed through the surroundings. "Sasuke-kun…" It added before a Grass nin appeared in front of the two genin.

* * *

"Amaterasu!" Naruto exclaimed seconds after activating his Sora Sharingan. Immediately, the giant snake that was about to swallow him whole was completely covered in black flames.

To its credit, the giant reptile continued its attack as its entire body burned, forcing the spiky haired boy to jump back a couple of branches. Eventually, the snake stopped advancing and, after some squirming, finally dropped dead in the middle of the forest, the black flames still eating its body away.

The Uzumaki observed the dead animal for a couple of seconds. "That was weird…" The Jinchuuriki said to himself as he remembered how the snake had ignored its wounds to continue attacking him. "It almost looked as if the snake had been sent after me specifically." He commented before the Sharingan disappeared from his eyes.

Suddenly, Naruto felt two chakra signatures spike in the direction in which he had left his teammates. One of them was familiar and around the level of a chunin, the blond could easily recognize it as Sasuke's, but the other one he could not readily identify. It felt like a jounin, and a very powerful one, not as strong as Itachi's, but just as menacing.

Not liking the feeling of that chakra, the Jinchuuriki dashed off back towards his teammates. It took him a short while to get back to the clearing, but what he found there shocked the young boy to the core.

A disfigured Grass nin was biting Sasuke on the neck as the raven haired genin agonized in pain.

Rage started to fill the blonde's body.

The Grass nin finally let the Uchiha fall limply to the ground. "Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed, rushing to catch the raven haired boy's unconscious body.

Taking advantage that his presence had not been noticed, the blond quickly formed a series of hand seals. "Goukakyuu no Jutsu." He said before blowing a large fireball out of his mouth towards the Grass nin. Unfortunately, the strange shinobi saw the large fire jutsu approaching and had more than enough time to move clear out of the way of the blast.

The long haired man took a few seconds to regard the blond in amusement. "I thought that my snake would have been enough to take care of you." The disfigured nin said.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?" He asked. "There is no way you are a genin." The Jinchuuriki stated firmly.

A chuckle escaped the Grass nin. "Well, well… Aren't you more perceptive that I gave you credit for, Naruto-kun." He commented before bringing one of his hands up to his face and actually ripping the skin off. What was left was an incredibly pale face with yellow eyes that resembled a serpent's.

Despite himself, the spiky haired body took a step back on the branch he was standing on. He recognized the face, not just from the Konoha history books, but also from a picture in the Sandaime's office. "You… the Snake Sannin… The Old Geezer's former student, Orochimaru!" The genin exclaimed.

A delighted laugh escaped the pale man. "Right again, Naruto-kun." The legendary shinobi said with amusement. "So now… If you know who I am and what I am capable of, why don't you just take your teammates and walk way." He smiled wickedly. "I would really like Team Seven to continue to the third phase of the Chunin Exam." The Sannin added.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and let out a growl. "Do you think I'm scare of you?"

The snake summoner's smile widened. "Well, there are several villages that are still recovering from missions I carried out in there that would think so."

The Jinchuuriki's at being made light of. "I'm not stupid." He stated. "I know that you were chased out of the village by the Sandaime and are still considered a high priority Missing Nin." The spiky haired boy pointed out. "If you were to use your full power, it would be the same as to lighting up a huge neon sign over your head saying _Please, Third! Come and get me!_"

As she held Sasuke's body, Sakura was being quickly overwhelmed by fear. In front of her was a man that people said was as powerful as a Hokage and as vicious at a Bijuu, and to top it all off, Naruto was challenging him. The blond had changed yet again. Gone was the cold and aloof boy that she had seen walking toward them at the beginning of the Exam and in his stead there was menacing warrior giving off wave after wave of killer intent.

Suddenly, Orochimaru started to laugh out loud. "Hahah! I knew you were unpredictable, Naruto-kun, but I never thought you were this much fun!" He exclaimed as he continued to laugh. "Very well then… I will fight you at the same level I fought Sasuke-kun… Let's see how long you can last." The Sannin finally agreed before staking a fighting stance.

In a flash, both Naruto and Orochimaru lunged towards each other. Fist met fist, sending a small shockwave that shook the leaves on the trees. The pale man tried to kick the spiky haired boy, but the blond was able to block the incoming strike with ease using his forearm.

The Jinchuuriki then tried to deliver a punch of his own to the Sannin's jaw. However, before his attack could connect, he saw another fist flying straight towards his face. Naruto switched from offensive to defensive in less than a second as he moved his arms to block Orochimaru's punch. Unfortunately, the attack still carried more than enough strength to send the young boy a couple of feet back.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The genin immediately called out, making two clones appear next to him. The three boys immediately charged forward at the Sanin, the clones moved in from the sides while Naruto went for a frontal assault.

However, older shinobi was able to block all of the attacks simultaneously and push Naruto and his clones back.

All three blondes took out a couple of shuriken each and hurled at Orochimaru.

As the spinning blades flew through the air towards their target, Naruto and his clones cried out in unison. "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Immediately, the six blades in midflight multiply to over a hundred.

Orochimaru jumped off the branch he had been standing on to avoid the massive amount of weapons flying towards him. The moment he landed back on a branch he was instantly surrounded by the three blondes, each already driving their attacks towards the black haired man as they started to pump more chakra into their movements.

At his current, heavily restricted, power level, it was starting to prove difficult for the Sannin to keep up with the genin and his three clones. Despite what his intel had gathered, the original Naruto was actually faster and stronger than Sasuke, while his clones were at least on par with the Uchiha.

After being put on the defensive for far longer that his pride would allow it, Orochimaru finally found an opening and managed to deliver powerful blows to both of the clones.

When the Bunshin disappeared in a cloud of smoke, the real Naruto use it as cover to land a powerful punch at the pale man's face, sending the Sannin flying straight into a tree.

However, before the blond was able to continue his attack, the older shinobi rose on of his hands and a pair of snakes immediately came out of his sleeve, lunging themselves at the boy.

Naruto quickly took out a kunai and beheaded both snakes with one swift movement. The Jinchuuriki wasted no time and charged towards the Sannin as he readied his blade.

Orochimaru easily blocked his opponent's kunai strike, but the genin immediately dropped the weapon and used his now free hand to grab onto the pale man's forearm.

The spiky haired boy spun his body in the air and delivered a powerful kick onto the Sannin's head, sending him flying off the tree branch. Even his body landed, Naruto was already making hand seals. "Enten Kawa no Jutsu!" The blond exclaimed. Immediately a powerful blast of hot air shot out of the genin's mouth hitting Orochimaru with full force and slamming his body on the ground far away with a thunderous impact.

Instead of relaxing, the Jinchuuriki started to frantically search his surroundings.

The next second, Orochimaru suddenly burst out of the grown below the genin's branch and jump straight towards the boy with a kunai in hand.

Acting out of instinct, the blond jumped to a higher tree branch to avoid the attack.

"Kukuku… I must say, you are leaving me quite surprised, Naruto-kun…" The Sannin commented as if he was having the time of his life.

Naruto glared down at his opponent. "You shouldn't have underestimated me…" He said. "I'm strong… Stronger than you could ever imagine!" The Uzumaki exclaimed as he activated the Sora Sharingan and looked straight into Orochimaru's eyes.

* * *

Goukakyuu no Jutsu – Great Fireball Jutsu

Enten Kawa no Jutsu – Blazing River Jutsu (Made up)

* * *

**Itachi –** And so we're officially past the half way point in the rewrites for PHD.

**Kisame –** I still think Phoenixsun could have made this chapter better if he had added me to it.

**Itachi –** Weren't you complaining about too much work?

**Kisame –** This busy work is not the same as being in the plot! You wouldn't understand because you get lots of screentime.

**Itachi –** Sigh…


	6. A Secret

**Itachi –** This is one more rewrite being posted on 09-03-2012.

**Kisame –** Groans… What the hell is wrong with Phoenixsun? We had posted a rewrite just yesterday.

**Itachi –** These are the two shortest chapters in PHD, he probably just decided to get them both out of the rewrite list.

**Kisame – **I don't like this "on the ball" Phoenixsun that is doing updating and posting rewrites on a timely basis…

**Itachi –** So then, what do you want him to do?

**Kisame –** I want him to put me in the center stage of this story!

**Itachi – **Well… I guess wishing never hurt anyone… Anyways, here the new version of PHD's chapter 6.

* * *

_**A Secret**_

"Kukuku… I must say, you are leaving me quite surprised, Naruto-kun…" The Sannin commented as if he was having the time of his life.

Naruto glared down at his opponent. "You shouldn't have underestimated me…" He said. "I'm strong… Stronger than you could ever imagine!" The Uzumaki exclaimed as he activated the Sora Sharingan and looked straight into Orochimaru's eyes.

It was as if time had suddenly stopped for the Sannin as all of the thoughts in his head were wiped out, leaving space only for the pair of navy blue eyes with white comas that were firmly starting into his serpent-like eyes.

Too lost in his own pondering, the pale man almost missed when the young blond opened his mouth and muttered the word. "Amaterasu." Acting out of instinct more than anything else, the snake summoner immediately jumped onto another tree. The next second, the branch where he had been standing on burst into black flames that consumed it in a matter of seconds.

Orochimaru's eyes quickly shifted back and forth between Naruto's eyes and the black flames he had conjured. "Impossible…" He whispered, holding his gaze on the flames before starting at the genin again. "How can you have a Sharingan?" The Sannin asked in a low vice, the mirth he had when he was mocking the young man was completely gone.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he looked down at his hand for a couple of seconds before answering. "You ask how I can have it?" The spiky haired boy repeated before suddenly closing his hand in a tight fist. "I would have thought it would be obvious… This is the Sora Sharingan, this is my bloodline!" The Uzumaki firmly stated.

The genin's answer failed to satisfy the older shinobi as his face changed from shock to anger. Taking a few seconds, Orochimaru composed himself. "I always did find it odd how my spies could not get any information about your heritages…" The black man commented. "I could guess who your father was due to your physical characteristics and the circumstances regarding your birth, but… Your mother…?" The Sannin wondered out loud.

The blonde's Sharingan eyes narrowed at the man's words.

"Kukuku…" A low chuckle escaped Orochimaru. "I see now… So this is the result of combining the Uchiha and Namikaze bloodlines." He said. "But to be able to use techniques unique to the Mangekyou Sharingan… Now that is impressive." The snake summoner commented with a smirk.

Having heard enough, the blond jumped forward and immediately appeared in front of Orochimaru.

The Jinchuuriki drove his fist into the Sannin's stomach, sending the older man flying into a tree. "Having the Sharingan helps me regulate the chakra throughout my body… Giving me almost perfect chakra control." He revealed. "Plus it allows me to see when my opponents are gathering chakra to attack or flexing their muscles when they are about to defend themselves."

Orochimaru glared at the genin. "Yes… I know how the Sharingan works…" The Sannin commented as the young man started advancing towards him, forcing the man to put some distance continue putting distance between them.

The older shinobi was in a bit of a conundrum. One part of him was dying to know what the spiky haired boy and his strange Sharingan could do, but the other was aware that in his restricted state he might not be able to beat the Jinchuuriki, and going all out was out of the question because, if the Third became aware of his presence, his whole plan would be ruined.

Taking advantage that his opponent's mind seemed to be distracted, Naruto quickly performed a series of hand seals. "Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Immediately, another enormous fireball came out of the Leaf nin's mouth and shot towards the black haired man.

Orochimaru had foreseen the incoming attack and easily jumped out of the way. Unfortunately, the spiky haired boy had jumped even higher than him and proceeded to drive his hell right to the top of the missing nin's head, sending him crashing down to the ground.

The Sannin was able to able to land on his feet, but before he could straighten himself up, he felt another punch dig into his stomach.

As the snake summoner's body was pushed back by the punch, Naruto quickly delivered a powerful kick into his ribcage, sending his body flying sideways onto a tree.

Immediately, the Sharingan user chased after his opponent. Orochimaru was able to stop two of the Jinchuuriki's fists, but the third one connected with his chin. The black haired man's body was actually raised a couple of inches into the air by the genin's uppercut.

The Uzumaki proceeded to drive a powerful kick into the Sannin's airborne body, brutally slamming it back into the tree behind them.

"I told you… I'm strong." Naruto muttered.

Orochimaru growled under his breath. _"Cheeky brat…But if I use anymore power I would risk the chance of being discover here."_ He thought. _"And any jutsu I could be copy by him… And adding to his firepower would be counterproductive to my plans."_ The snake summoner reasoned. The older shinobi suddenly took out a pair of kunai and hurled them at the blond.

Naruto was able to dodge the incoming blades with ease and dashed towards the missing nin.

The Sannin blocked the Jinchuuriki's punch and tried to connect one of his own, but instead his fist was stopped by the blond.

Having a clear opening, the Uzumaki delivered a powerful punch on Orochimaru's stomach, leaving the pale man gasping for air as the Sharingan user continued his attack by driving another fist to the side of the missing nin's face.

Orochimaru was sent flying to the side, his body bouncing off the ground as his momentum died out.

"_I guess I had my fun for the day…"_ The older shinobi thought as he immediately stood back up and jumped onto a tree with the intention of making his escape.

Seeing his opponent trying to get away, Naruto immediately took out a kunai and threw it at the Sannin's direction.

The snake summoner saw the weapon flying towards him and moved his body safely out of the way. It was not until the kunai flew passed him that the pale man realized that there was an explosive tag tied to it.

"Amaterasu." The young Jinchuuriki said.

Immediately, the small blade and the piece of paper were engulfed nin black flames. The explosion that ensued sent the Sannin crashing back down onto the ground once again.

By the time that the black haired man's body hit the ground, Naruto had already finished the hand seals he needed for his next move. "Kakougan Kangoku no Jutsu!" Naruto called out. Immediately, four stone walls bust out of the ground around the Sannin, encasing him.

Orochimaru looked up at the only exit in his prison to find the blond already standing on its age.

Naruto looked down at the former Leaf nin with his Sora Sharingan. "Amaterasu…" The Uzumaki repeated, conjuring more black flames that immediately filled the inside of the prison.

A second later, the whole stone construct exploded as the body of a giant snake fell lifelessly into the ground. Moments later, Orochimaru burst out of the serpent's body completely unharmed by the flames. "Kukuku… That was a very clever strategy, Naruto-kun, I applaud you." The older shinobi commented in an amused tone. "It is a true shame that I cannot have your body instead… Between you and Sasuke-kun, it is clear that you are the better vessel, but I guess he would have to do." He said with a thoughtful look.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at those words. "So that's your plan?" He questioned in disgust. "Why do you want his body?" The Jinchuuriki demanded.

A chuckle escaped the pale man. "For the Sharingan, of course, with it I will be one step closer to my ultimate goal." He announced. "Make sure to nurture your, Naruto-kun, I really want to find out what those eyes of yours are capable of seen." Orochimaru added before leafs suddenly started swirling around him.

Before the genin could react, the Sannin had disappeared.

The blond continued looking around for a couple of seconds and tried to sense the missing nin's chakra. Not finding anything, the spiky haired boy finally lowered his guard and deactivated his Sharingan.

Still holding on to Sasuke's body, Sakura was hyperventilating as she watched her blond teammate finally turned towards them and dropped down to the ground. The kunoichi's mind raged as the Uzumaki approached. _"Naruto… Sharingan… Orochimaru… Sasuke-kun… Just what the hell is going on?!"_ The Haruno's thoughts were a complete mess as she had to concentrate not to start shaking.

It was not long before Naruto was already standing over the two other members of Team Seven. Without saying anything to the pink haired girl, the Uzumaki crouched down, picked the Uchiha's body, and proceeded to prop him over his shoulder and start walking away. "We have to find some place save for him to recuperate." The spiky haired boy finally said.

Her teammate's sudden words finally snapped Sakura out of her stupor. "Naruto… What… What was that all about…?" She tripped over her words as she tried to get the question out. "A Sharingan… You have a blue Sharingan?" She finally asked.

The Uzumaki stopped in his tracks and remained silent for a few seconds. "You cannot tell anyone… Got it, Sakura?" Naruto declared without even looking back before starting to walk again.

In the back of her mind, the young woman noted the lack of the "-chan" suffix after her name. "But… But… How…?" The girl stammered.

"Sakura!" The blond barked out her name, causing the pink haired girl to flinch. "I am not playing here… You have to keep what you saw a secret, do you understand?" Naruto asked as he finally looked back at his teammate.

The Haruno was barely able to suppress a gasp. The blonde's eyes, that that had been dull and lifeless when she saw them just an hour before were stormy and chaotic. There were so many emotions reflected in those sapphire eyes that the kunoichi could not even begin to discern one from the other. "Na… Naruto…" She called out softly after him.

If the spiky haired boy heard her, he chose to ignore her. Instead, he continued walking with Sasuke's unconscious body still on his shoulder.

"I understand…" Sakura answered, letting a few tears fall silently to the ground before following her teammates.

* * *

Kakougan Kangoku no Jutsu – Granite Prison Jutsu

* * *

**Kisame –** Nope… I don't see it…

**Itachi –** You really can't see it?

**Kisame – **I told you already! I can't see what the "main point" of this two rewrites was.

**Itachi **– Well, apart from better grammar and structural changes, these chapters wanted to do two things. First, to tone Naruto way down so that he would not come off a complete a-hole.

**Kisame – **He is still kind of a jerk…

**Itachi –** The second one was to remove the character bashing that was in the original.

**Kisame – **Oh right… Phoenixsun tends to complain a lot when he finds promising stories ruined by bashing…

**Itachi –** Do you see it now?

**Kisame –** Yeah, kind of…


	7. Lingering Bitterness

**Itachi –** One more rewrite for PHD. This one being posted on 05-30-2013.

**Kisame –** Read as Phoenixsun continues on his crusade to make the fic's Naruto into a wimp.

**Itachi –** What are you talking about? The Naruto in the original chapters was a broken, godmodding mess.

**Kisame –** And the only time I actually liked the little twerp.

**Itachi –** Sigh…

* * *

_**Lingering Bitterness**_

Naruto sat on a clearing with his back pressed against a tree. Just a short distance away, Sakura sat right next to the still-unconscious Sasuke, her eyes shifting nervously back and forth between her sleeping teammate and her blond one.

They were already on the second day of the Chunin Exam, yet after the bizarre incident with the notorious missing nin, Orochimaru, there had barely been any words spoken between the members of Team Seven. Instead, everything that she had witnessed in the past 24 hours had been left to simmer inside the pink haired girl's mind, where it had been progressively eating her up from inside since. The situation has proving too much for the Haruno to handle. In the back of her mind she briefly wondered if she was perhaps still on her bed sleeping through the actual Exam and caught in a dream that started with a completely changed and cold Naruto and ended with an unconscious and wounded Sasuke. A short, mirthless laugh escaped the pink haired kunoichi when she realized how much she wished she was currently dreaming.

For his part, Naruto rather liked the silence. After a close encounter with an S-ranked missing nin, it was the perfect thing to calm him down. For the past 24 hours, the conversation between the genins were limited to timid and hushed questions from Sakura, short and dry answer from the blond, and the occasional pained grunt from the unconscious Uchiha. The sudden sound of a chuckle from his teammate finally snapped the Jinchuuriki out of his thoughts. "I'm going to go look for the Earth Scroll." Naruto declared as he stood up.

Sakura was caught off guard by the mere fact that the blond had spoken with a complete sentence. "Wha… What…? Wait…!" She struggled to say, tripping over her own words.

"We can't wait any longer for Sasuke to wake up… The more time we waste the more difficult it will be to find one." The spiky haired boy firmly stated before starting to walk toward the edge of the clearing.

Having regained some of her composure, the young kunoichi stood up as well. "But…" Sakura tried to protest, wanting to say that it would be dangerous for the blond to go off on his own, but then she caught herself when memories of the fight she had witnessed the day before flooded back into her mind, showing the girl how wrong her assessment of her teammate was.

Naruto stopped walking for a couple of seconds and carefully looked back over his shoulder at the rest of Team Seven before returning his gaze forward and continuing on his way.

With each step that the blond took away from them and into the depths of the forest, Sakura could feel her strength being zapped away until her legs finally gave out and she fell down sitting on back on the floor. The kunoichi's gaze fell on her unresponsive crush. In the short time since the second part of the Chunin Exam started she had witnessed more unbelievable events that she ever had in her whole life. _"And this is coming from a genin that accidently stumbled upon an A Rank mission…"_ The Haruno reasoned as she sat there almost by herself.

Unlike when she first entered, the Forest of Death now felt eerily quiet to her. In the silence, Sakura thought that if she concentrated hard enough she could still hear the echo of Naruto's fight with Orochimaru, but, when she closed her eyes, all she could see was Naruto's blue and white Sharingan glaring back at her. The mere thought made the pink haired girl shiver in a mixture of fear, confusion, and curiosity. She could not said that blond had gotten stronger, that word did not even begin to cover it, instead the former class clown, dead-last goofball had simply become powerful. More powerful than any genin Sakura had ever seen, and that list included Sasuke.

About twenty-five minutes had passed since Naruto left in search for an Earth Scroll and Sakura had been left behind to ponder on her thoughts. Unexpectedly, the kunoichi was snapped out of her deep train of thought by a sudden presence nearby. Looking around, the Haruno hoped to see her spiky haired teammate walking into the clearing with the scroll in hand because, if he wasn't him, the girl was unsure that she could protect Sasuke for whatever new horror the Forest of Death was about to throw at them.

A faint thud sound caused Sakura to look up at one of the trees at the edge of the clearing and immediately her hopes were crushed. "What do you want…?" The kunoichi asked trying to muster as much menace and confidence as she could while taking out a kunai and placing her body in front of the unconscious Uchiha.

The three members of the Sound Team looked down at the Leaf genin before sharing a chuckle between all three of them. "It does not concern you…" The bandaged shinobi informed.

"We're here after the Uchiha and if you try to get in our way we will not hesitate to kill you." The black haired boy said, unable to hide the glee in his words.

To her credit, Sakura did not backed down. She was prepared to defend Sasuke no matter what happened next.

Another laugh was shared between the Oto nin as they saw the pink haired girl tighten her grip on her kunai. The bandaged boy rolled up his sleeve reveal some sort of large device strapped to his forearm. However, Sakura was only able to look at it for a single second because, on the next one, all three of them charged towards her at incredible speed.

* * *

"I give up! I give up! You can have our scroll!" An Iwa shinobi screamed and flailed his one free arm before using it to take out an Earth Scroll from his pocket and throwing it to the side. As a respond to his words, Naruto released the arm he held behind the Stone ninja's back and unceremoniously let him fall face first into the ground.

"Quick! Let's go! This Leaf nins are crazy!" One of the genin's teammates shouted as he helped his friend back to his and, along with the third member of their team, quickly ran away.

From his position up on the tree branches, the spiky haired boy could see the severely beaten Iwa genin fleeing from him without looking back or caring about their scroll anymore. "Finally…" The blond whispered as he let out a sigh. _"This is the third group I found… I was starting to think I was never going to get the damn Earth scroll."_ He thought to himself before dropping down and picking up his reward for all his efforts. In the back of his mind, the Sharingan users wondered if the Waterfall and Cloud teams he had beaten up had regain consciousness yet.

Placing the Earth Scroll in his pouch, the Jinchuuriki took a moment to ponder over his situation and reflect. For the first time in his life, Naruto actually felt strong. All his life he had always been running away, trying his best not to get carried over and drowned by the waves of hatred in the village. Then the incident with Itachi occurred, and after that the blond had spent almost all of his time training with the Third. His first actual battle since his _change_ had pitted the Sharingan users against Orochimaru of all people, and even though he managed to hold his own, the boy would not kid himself and think that if the Sannin would not have crushed him in less than a second had he really wanted to.

Now though, fighting against other genin teams, Naruto felt vastly superior. He could now see the fruit of his training and all he had gain since his meeting with Itachi. It was a lot better than thinking about all he had lost on that night.

Suddenly, Naruto's basking was cut short when he sensed a very strange chakra signature coming from the direction of his teammates' clearing. The chakra was not as foul as the Kyuubi's, but is still felt extremely hostile and strong. Without another thought, the blond dashed back towards his teammates.

"_Damn it…! Are they going to get in trouble every single freaking time I leave them alone for more than a few minutes?!"_ Naruto raged in his mind as he increased his speed.

* * *

Back in the clearing, the faces of Sakura, Lee, Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji were a mixture of surprise and terror. Soon after the initial attack, Lee and the members of Team Eight had come to Sakura's aid, but, despite their best efforts, they were all eventually overpowered and beaten by the Sound ninjas. It was at that moment that Sasuke had suddenly woken up and things turn really terrifying.

After he regained consciousness, strange, dark flame-like marks appeared on the Uchiha's body as he started to emanate a menacing chakra. The raven haired boy's face was an eerie mixture of madness and malice as he launched himself at the three Oto nins. Within a couple of moments, Sasuke had utterly crushed all three of his opponents much to the shock of the other Leaf shinobi, which only increased with what happened next.

Sasuke took a hold of the black haired Sound nin's arms, both of which he had already broken just a few minutes prior, and now seemed intent in tearing the genin's arms off his body. Meanwhile, the Oto shinobi screamed and pleaded to be spared.

"Sasuke-kun! Stop!" Sakura could have sworn that her heart was beating louder than she screamed. Unfortunately, the pink haired girl's words, or anyone else's in the clearing, seemed to fail to reach the hell-bent Uchiha.

Suddenly, everyone present saw a dark blur swiftly pass by and, the next thing they knew, the raven haired boy was pinned down to the ground. "That's more than enough, Sasuke." Naruto firmly stated as he looked down at his teammate straight in the eyes.

Ino blinked in surprise and a quick look at her surroundings showed that all the other Leaf nins shared the same expression. No one had even sensed, let along heard, the blond approach.

"Get off me, loser…!" Sasuke growled as he tried to kick Naruto off of him. The spiky haired boy jumped away before the foot could make contact with him.

Instantly, Sasuke was back on his feet. Without saying anything, and to Sakura's horror, the Uchiha quickly took out a kunai and charged towards his blond teammate at full force.

On reflex, Naruto pull out a kunai of his own and blocked the raven haired boy's attack. The clash between the two Leaf genin sent a small shockwave throughout their surroundings.

"What the hell are you doing?" The blond asked, his voice getting colder with every word.

A wicked smile appeared in Sasuke's face. "I simply want to know…" He started in a gleeful voice. "The extent of my newfound power!" He exclaimed.

Both teenagers jumped backwards and, in almost synchronized precision, sent their blades flying at each other. The two kunai collided in midair and fell to the ground. "I don't want to fight you, Sasuke…" Naruto firmly stated, glaring at his teammate.

"Like you have a choice." The raven haired boy responded before charging forwards at the blond once again.

Gritting his teeth, the Jinchuuriki had no other choice but to block the incoming attack from his seemingly deranged teammate. With each punch that the Uzumaki stopped, his patience with Sasuke waned.

Some distance away from the clearing, Neji watched the two genin fight each other. At one point he had considered intervening himself, if nothing else to get Lee out of the dilemma he had foolishly gotten himself caught in, lest it became detrimental to their team advancing to the next round, but ultimately decided against it. Instead, the young man watched from his position on top of a tree branch and he could see that the blond one was holding back his strength; however the Uchiha seemed to be getting stronger and stronger with each passing second. Intrigued by the events unfolding before him, the Hyuuga activated his Byakugan to have a better view of the fight.

Meanwhile, back in the clearing, Naruto continue to block Sasuke's strikes. Slowly but surely, annoyance started to turn into anger. For his part, the raven haired kept on attacking. With every single punch, the Uchiha could feel himself getting stronger, with every kick he felt faster, and with every step he pushed his opponent back he felt more powerful.

The blond block a punch with one hand and a kick with the others, but before he could recover he saw one more of Sasuke's punches flying swiftly towards him. With no other option, the Uzumaki had to jump away and put some distance between himself and the Uchiha.

Feeling elated at seeing his opponent forced to back away, Sasuke started to make hand seals; finishing just as Naruto's feet touched the ground. "Housenka no Jutsu!" The young man called out before releasing a barrage of fireball out of his mouth flying straight towards Naruto.

The spiky haired genin was not expecting something like this. Even if his relationship with Sasuke had been antagonistic at best or even if the raven haired boy did not seem in the right state of mind at the moment, he had never expected that his teammate would use lethal force on him. Suddenly, images from his time trap inside the Tsukuyomi world flooded into Naruto's mind, completely freezing the Jinchuuriki in his place and preventing him from evading the incoming attack. Every singly fireball fell on its target.

The people witnessing the fight from the edge of the clearing let out a gasp of horror. They had just seen the blond genin get hit full force by Sasuke's, lethal, attack. The fireballs' impact had created a large cloud of dust and smoke that prevented the spectators from seeing what damage they had done to the spiky haired boy.

A low, uncharacteristic chuckle escaped Sasuke which soon evolved into an all out laugh. In the raven haired teen's tainted mind, Naruto had long since been replaced by the memory of Itachi on the night of the Uchiha Massacre. _"I'm strong…! I'm stronger now…!"_ The lost genin proclaimed in his thoughts.

Away from the commotion, Neji also displayed a look of surprise but for very different reasons. With his Byakugan the black haired teen was able to see how, right before the fireballs hit, a strange, dark blue chakra had seemingly exploded from the blond and protected him from harm. Afterwards, the Hyuuga could literally see the power surging out from the spiky haired genin.

Once more, a gasped escaped the spectators as the dust started to settle and the image of an unharmed Naruto became clear. In the back of their mind, they all shared the same thought: that suddenly, the blond felt far more dangerous than the Uchiha. Immediately, Sasuke stopped laughing.

Naruto's eyes were completely clouded by fury as he glared at his teammate.

The raven haired boy smirked and started dashing towards the blond. The Uchiha directed his fist towards the Uzumaki's face, but Naruto easily caught the incoming punch in his hand and no matter how hard Sasuke tried to pull, he could not get his first freed from his opponents surprisingly strong grip.

The Jinchuuriki took the opportunity to deliver a powerful punch onto Sasuke's stomach. The Uchiha gasped for air as the attack was strong enough to lift his body off the ground and sent him flying towards a tree.

Sasuke recovered immediately and stood up. In one swift move the genin took out a couple of shuriken and sent them flying towards Naruto.

Easily evading the incoming projectiles, the blond started to make a series of hand seals and, immediately, Sasuke started mimicking him. "Goukakyuu no Jutusu!" Both boys called out in unison.

A pair of gigantic fireballs collided with each other in a massive explosion. Dust and smoke covered the entire clearing.

Even with his Sharingan active, Sasuke could not see anything behind the thick black curtain that had risen in front of him as he started to look around for any sign of an incoming attack. Suddenly, a hand emerged from the smoke and grabbed the raven haired genin's neck and violently pinned his body against a tree before he even had time to react. The Uchiha's back hit the trunk of the tree with such tremendous force that the impact immediately scattered most of the lingering dust.

Once things became visible again, Sakura and the others were greeted by the sight of Sasuke backed up against a tree as he struggled against the iron grip Naruto had on his neck.

The purple chakra returned to the Uchiha's body as if it were trying to push the blond genin away, or at least scare him off. Nonetheless, it failed at both as the spiky haired teen's hold did not waver.

Sasuke continue to struggle to free himself. Panic started seeping in as the raven haired boy could feel his newfound strength start to dissipate while his opponent's seem to be increasing. The Uchiha searched for what he thought were his brother's eyes, but instead of the coldness from that night, what he found was unrelenting fury in them. Nevertheless, Sasuke still felt as weak and helpless as he did back then.

Naruto could feel that his teammate was starting to lose consciousness as he saw that the flame-like pattern in his body and the dark chakra both started to retreat. In the back of his mind, the blond wanted to let go before he seriously injured Sasuke, unfortunately the rage that had overwhelmed him preventing him from loosening the grip of his hand, if anything it strengthened.

Sakura watched in horror as Sasuke finally lose consciousness and Naruto still did not let go. "Naruto, stop!" The pink haired girl screamed, but her pleas where either unheard or ignored by her teammate.

Inside his mind, the part of Naruto that wanted to stop was becoming desperate. He was about to kill one of his teammates, one of the people who, despite everything, he still considered a friend and there was some strange force that had taken over his body and was not planning to stop until the person in front of him was no more. In some level of his subconscious, just like the Uchiha had replaced him with Itachi, Naruto had replaced Sasuke with all the pain and suffering that the village had given him all his life.

Suddenly, Naruto felt a tug on his jacket and something pressed against his back. The next second, he felt drops of water fall on his back and ran down. It was then that the Jinchuuriki realized that Sakura had moved behind him. Her hands were desperately clenching the lower part his jacket while her forehead was pressed against the blonde's back, right bellow his neck. "Naruto… Please stop…" She whispered. "I can't bear to watch the two of you kill each other… So please stop…" The kunoichi said, chocking up with her tears.

The ranged started to dissipate off the Uzumaki and his grip on Sasuke's neck finally loosened. Realization of what he was about to do washed over him as he let the Uchiha's body fall onto the ground.

Sakura immediately let go of the blond and when to check on the raven haired boy.

Naruto took a few steps back. "I got the Earth Scroll…" He informed without even looking at his teammates. Then, without saying anything else or acknowledging any of the others present or their questions, the Jinchuuriki simply walked away from the clearing.

* * *

Housenka no Jutsu – Mythical Fire Phoenix Jutsu

Goukakyuu no Jutusu – Great Fireball Jutsu

* * *

**Itachi – **The main change in this chapter, as Kisame so kindly spoiled…

**Kisame –** I believe I was complaining, thank you very much.

**Itachi –** Was to tone down Naruto's power and have it fit easier with his more moderate abilities in future chapters.

**Kisame –** More like dumb it down.

**Itachi –** Well, you would know about _dumb_… The chapter also removed the Sasuke-bashing that was originally.

**Kisame – **Odd since Phoenixsun has been cursing Sasuke every time he reads the latest manga chapter for the last two months.


	8. Not a Test for My Power

_**Not a Test for My Power**_

Sasuke rubbed his neck as he waited for the first match of the third test was decided. The Uchiha's body was still sore form all that had happen in the Forest of Death, he had waken up in the last day with barely any memory of what had happened before. He remembered having waken up after the strange nin bit him, he remember attacking the sound-nin and Sakura pleading him to stop, and the last thing he remembered was Naruto pinning him down to the ground, after that everything was just a blank.

He had asked what had happened but both of his teammates were reluctant of talking about it, one thing Sasuke did notice was that Naruto seemed even more distance than before, and Sakura kept on glancing nervously between the blond and the Uchiha.

Sasuke snapped out of his thought when he saw what the first match was, Inuzuka Kiba vs. Uzumaki Naruto. Sasuke saw how Sakura, Lee, and the members of Team 10 tensed when they read it; the only thing was that the raven-haired boy didn't know why.

The Uchiha watched his teammate leave the group without a single word to their sensei, Sakura, or to him. Sasuke gaze was then redirected towards Team 8 where Kiba was ranting about how short the match will be.

The raven-haired boy watched as the two genin face each other in the area, the only thing that was heard were Akamaru's barks. Sasuke looked at Kiba first; the dog-lover had a triumphant smirk on his face, as though he had already won. Sasuke's gaze shifted to look at his teammate, if the Uchiha didn't know any better he would say the Naruto looked bored, the match didn't seem to excite him in any way.

The chunin called Hayate gave the order to start the match. "Why don't we skip the trash talk and go straight to the beating." Kiba said getting into fighting stance. "I'm feeling generous today, so I'm going to make this as quickly as possible." The brown haired boy finished, while Naruto stood unmoving. Kiba started towards the blond, "Tsuuga" Kiba screamed before he started spinning, creating a destructive tornado.

Naruto watched the attack as it got closer and closer, at the last moment the blond lazily sidestepped and dodged the attack. Kiba turned around and tried one more time, unfortunately for the dog-lover, Naruto sidestepped again and evaded the attack, the blonde's lazy movements made dodging the attacks look easy. The brown-haired boy tried his luck a couple of times more without succeeding. After being unable to get a single scratch on the blond, Kiba stopped, it was evident that he was tick off. "Bastard" Kiba murmured as he clenched his taking two pills and putting one in his mouth. "Akamaru" The brown-haired shinobi said as he threw the second pill towards the dog.

Suddenly Akamaru's fur turned red as the dog jumped on his owners back. "Juujin Bunshin" Kiba cried out as Akamaru barked. Immediately the brown haired boy's body turned best-like and the Akamaru turned into an exact copy of Kiba.

"Gatsuuga" Kiba cried out as he and Akamaru started spinning towards Naruto. The blond kept on dodging all of the attacks, moving on the last possible second and still without getting his cloths ragged. Kiba growled in frustration. _"What's the deal? Naruto would've never been able to dodge all of the attacks."_ The brown haired boy thought.

Both Kiba and Akamaru started circling Naruto, they were still using Gatsuuga. Naruto extended his arms and grabbed both Kiba's and Akamaru's forearms. Using their momentum, Naruto rotated on his heel and released Kiba and Akamaru, sending both of them crashing towards opposite walls. Akamaru reverted back to his dog form while Kiba struggled to stand up.

"Bastard" Kiba murmured again as he started towards the blond with his clawed hands. Naruto dodged Kiba's swipe with ease, immediately the blond drove his fist into the brown-haired boy's stomach, sending him back to the wall. Kiba stood up and dashed towards Naruto once more. The blond started to make handseals and gathering chakra on his index finger. "Akuma Zenshin no Jutsu" Naruto said as he started towards the incoming genin.

There was some sort of flash that blinded every one in the audience, as Sasuke started to regain his eyesight; he immediately looked down at the arena. There stood Naruto behind, the blonde's right arm and index finger was extended. The Uchiha the looked towards the other genin, Kiba stood frozen in mid-attack for a few seconds before the boy started screaming and clenching his head.

Inside his mind, Kiba was watching how hundreds of people were slaughtered; he could their screams as the pleaded, but it was useless, whatever was causing this was completely merciless. Kiba then looked down to find his hands cover in blood and then it hit him, he was the killer, he was the one who was savagely slaughtering this people. With one final scream Kiba fell unconscious.

The medic-nins started to check Kiba condition as Hayate declared Naruto the winner. The blond didn't give any acknowledgment of being victorious; he just walked back in the direction of his team. Sasuke's hand was trembling, whatever Naruto had done to Kiba had possessed an evil chakra, but somehow he had the sensation that he had felt it before.

The Uchiha was snapped out of his thoughts once again. Akadou Yoroi vs. Uchiha Sasuke, Sasuke nodded towards Kakashi and started his way towards the arena where his opponent was already waiting for him.

Naruto watched his teammate face off against the older nin, the blond felt the same evil chakra that Sasuke had use at the Forest of Death, only this time the Uchiha was able to hold it back and still achieve a win. After the match Sasuke was taken to the back by Kakashi, Naruto just shrugged and continued watching the third part of the Chunin Exam.

Naruto watched how Shikamaru defeated the sound kunoichi, the colored face sand-nin defeated Yoroi's teammate using a puppet, and Sakura ended up in a tie with her rival Ino, the sound kunoichi defeated Lee's teammate, and Shino was able to beat the black-haired sound-nin. The blond couldn't help but smirk when Lee use the 'Ura Renge' against the red-haired sand-nin, he had heard that spandex-clad nin just to be the academy's death-last before him, sadly Gaara was able to emerge victorious, Naruto felt something coming from Kyuubi as he watched Gaara appeared between his teammates.

Naruto watched as Chouji and the last sound-nin eliminated each other form the exam. Everyone of the adult tensed up before the last match. Hyuuga Hinata vs. Hyuuga Neji. Both genin descended to the arena, Hinata was shaking while Neji was glaring at her. "You should quit while you can Hinata-san, you're not cut out to be a shinobi." The black-haired boy said evilly, Hinata started to back away. "People shouldn't judge others; anyone who put their hearts into everything they do and never give up can achieve anything." Naruto said loud enough for everyone to hear, every in the audience looked form Neji to Naruto and back again while the two genin glared at each other.

Neji looked towards his cousin; the fear in Hinata's face was replaced by sheer determination. _"I will never give up, Naruto-kun."_ The blue-haired girl thought as she activated her Byakugan, Neji activated his Byakugan too and got into fighting stance just as Hayate started the match.

Hinata and Neji exchange blows using Juuken, Naruto was familiar with the style, the Old Geezer had made him study and practice it. The match continued and it seemed that Hinata stood a change of emerging victorious until Neji completely turned the tables, the black-haired boy delivered blow after blow, and it wasn't long before Hinata fell to the ground.

Naruto wasn't disappointed, Hinata had proved that she isn't worthless like some people thing, but he was mildly surprised the she was able to stand up again, because Neji had gone unnecessarily brutal on her. It was obvious that she couldn't win anymore, but at least she demonstrated that she wasn't, by any means, weak. Neji completely lost all his self-control, and the hatred inside of him overwhelmed him, Neji dashed towards Hinata with every intention of killing his cousin.

Before any of the jounin present could react, Neji was pinned to the wall way from Hinata; Naruto had the Hyuuga prodigy by the neck. "What that hell do you think you're doing?" The blond growled. "Can't you see that she's in no condition of continuing the match?" Naruto asked. "This is none of your concern." Neji growled back glaring at the blond, as he tried to brake free from his hold.

"N-Naruto-kun" Hinata whispered before she felt a pain in her chest and felt unconscious. The sound of the kunoichi hitting the floor distracted Naruto. "Hinata" Naruto said as he looked back without releasing Neji. The black-haired boy took the opportunity and try to connect an attack on the blond, unfortunately for the Hyuuga, Naruto move his body to dodge the attack, immediately released Neji and drove his fist straight to the Hyuuga's chest, leaving the black haired boy gasping for air.

"I promise, I'll going to make you pay for what you did to Hinata." Naruto said low enough for only Neji to hear. After glaring at the black haired boy one last time, Naruto started towards Hinata who was already surrounded by medic-nin.

After a couple of minutes all of the injured were send to receive medical treatment, and the genin that where still in the exam, minus Sasuke, were listening to the Hokage's explanation of the next phase. "Now each one will take a piece of paper." Sarutobi said as Anko, the tokubetsu jounin that was in charge of the second exam, past carrying a box. "Once you take your paper please read the number on it." The Hokage added.

"Four" Shino

"Five" Naruto

"Seven" Gaara

"Two" Temari

"Six" Neji

"One" Shikamaru

"Three" Kankuro

"That means he's eight." Ibiki said, while the Hokage just nodded as Ibiki started to write something, once he finished the Sandaime spoke once again. "The matches for the next round will be: Nara Shikamaru vs. Temari, Kankuro vs. Aburame Shino, Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuuga Neji, and Gaara vs. Uchiha Sasuke." Sarutobi said. Immediately a strong killing intent was felt among the present, most of it coming form the Hyuuga prodigy and the blond genin.

"You have one month until the next round begins, I suggest that you take some time to rest and regain your strength before you start training." The Hokage said before he stood up and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto started to make his way out of the arena; he knew it was just a matter of time before Sakura catches up to him. Suddenly an immense pain went through his body; the blond clenched his heart, it hurt every time it beat. _"Not again, this has been going for a month now, what is it?"_ Naruto thought, inside his mind he could hear the fox laughing. **"Don't worry kit, you'll find out soon enough."** Kyuubi manage to say between his fits of laughter. Naruto thought that only with his luck did he ended up with a demon inside his head, it had been a month now, and Naruto found a way to block Kyuubi form annoying him 24/7, but the fox still found ways to get through. "Asshole" Murmured Naruto before as the pain subsided and he was able to continue on his way.

* * *

Tsuuga – Piercing Fang 

Juujin Bunshin – Beast-Man Clone

Gatsuuga – Dual Piercing Fang

Akuma Zenshin no Jutsu – Demon Conscience Jutsu (Made it up, inspired by Ikki's Phoenix Genma Ken (Phoenix Illusional Demon Fist) from Saint Seiya)

Ura Renge – Reverse Lotus

Juuken – Gentle Fist

* * *

**A/N: Just like the NaruxSaku moment in the last chapter, the NaruxHina moment in this one means nothing. I still haven't decided in any parings yet, and the idea of not having any seems more appealing with each chapter. I'm sorry it took so long to update, I didn't have any inspiration until yesterday while I was watching the last Saint Seiya movie. It might be a while before I update again, but I will try to do it as soon as possible. Thanks for reading, please review.

* * *

**


	9. Mirrored Image

_**Mirrored Image**_

"Sakura, do you know where Naruto went?" Kakashi asked his pink haired student when he found her at the arena's exit. "He already left; he said that he wanted to get some rest before beginning his training." The girl responded.

"Oh" Kakashi replied. He was planning to train Sasuke, but he didn't want to make the same mistake as a month ago, only this time it seemed that the blond had already made plans about his training without his help.

Sakura stood observing her sensei, she couldn't take her mind off Naruto's sharingan eyes, she had promised him not to tell, but it was proving very hard. "Kakashi-sensei, what's happening to Sasuke-kun?" The kunoichi asked, partly of worry for her teammate and crush, but mostly for keeping herself from divulging the blonde's secret. "Don't worry Sakura." The silver haired jounin responded. "Everything will be alright." Kakashi added before starting his way back to the hospital.

-Next Day-

Naruto woke up after a long rest, _"I should go see the Old Geezer to see if he has any ideas for my training."_ The blond thought as he opened a can of instant ramen, he might have decided to lock up most his emotions, but his love of ramen was in a whole different level. After half an hour, and at least a month's supply of instant ramen, Naruto walked out of his apartment.

It was a nice tranquil day in Konoha; the temperature was just right for spending the day outside. Naruto walked through the city, for a month now the glares from the villagers had been decreasing, most likely because of the killer intent his chakra seemed to leak out, the only ones that seemed to be a hundred percent oblivious to this where Konohamaru and his friends, who had tried countless times to convince the blond genin to skip training for one day and go play with them.

Naruto had been walking for over half an hour before abruptly stopping. "Why have you been following me for the last twenty minutes?" The blond asked, his eyes looking ahead of him. There were some movement in the bushes behind Naruto, and after a while a man with long white hair stepped out. "So you've been aware since the beginning." The man said with a tone of amusement on his voice.

"My name is Jiraiya." The man announced. Naruto finally looked back at the white haired man. "And I should care because…" The blond said with a monotonous tone. Jiraiya merely chuckled at the boy's remark. "Sarutobi-sensei told me how…detached you could be." The man said. Naruto was slightly taken back; few people called the Hokage something beside his title, but to call him sensei. _"Jiraiya, where have I heard that name before"_ The genin thought for a second before realization hit him. "You're one of the sannin." The blond said in a low voice.

Jiraiya smiled when he saw that he had caught some of the blonde's attention. "Sarutobi-sensei asked me to help you with your training during this month; he's too busy with all the preparations for the chunin exam." The sannin said. Naruto looked at the white haired man for a couple of seconds before turning around. "I don't need your help." The blond said as he started to walk away.

The sannin merely smirked as he watched the boy walk away. "You're as disrespectful as your father during his training." Jiraiya said. The sannin's word made Naruto stop on his track. "I want to teach you one of your father's favorite technique, the Kuchiyose no Jutsu." The white haired man said, taking the opportunity of having most of the genin's attention. "I heard that sensei gave you the weapon, and from the bandages in your arms, I'll say you already have your summoning tattoo." Jiraiya said smiling when Naruto completely turned around. "Learning the Kuchiyose no Jutsu will help you deal with the weapon, because trust me, that thing is really hard to control, and even your father had trouble with it." The sannin added.

"But first, tell me about your sharingan." The man said. Naruto's eyes widened slightly._ "Did the Old Geezer tell him?"_ The genin thought. Jiraiya figured out what was going through the blonde's mind and decided to clarify. "The Old Geezer didn't tell me about your sharingan." The sannin started. "I knew that this was going to happen, since the day you were born I've wanted to see the results of combining the Uzumaki and Uchiha bloodlines." The white haired man explained. Naruto sighed; he was slightly more relaxed now that he knew that the Hokage had not betrayed his trust.

Naruto looked at the sannin straight in the eyes. Jiraiya watched in amazement as the blonde's eyes turned a couple of shades darker, and a white dot and three comas appeared on each of his eye. "Amazing..." The white haired man said before Naruto's eyes reverted back to normal. "So, what where you saying about my training?" The genin asked. "Well," Jiraiya begun as his eyes drifted to the direction of the hot springs. "I'm a little busy today, we will start training tomorrow, meet me in this exact same spot." The sannin said as he started towards the bath house, "See you tomorrow." The man said waving back at the blond. Naruto stood watching as the white haired man disappear form his view; he didn't need to read minds to know where he was headed. _"Are all the adults in charge of my training perverts?"_ The boy thought **"Do you really want an answer to this question?"** Kyuubi suddenly said. "Shut up" Naruto murmured before continuing on his way, sighing as he felt the fox smirking.

-3 Days Later-

Naruto and Jiraiya were standing in the middle of a field, for the past two days Jiraiya had been teaching the young genin the basics for the Kuchiyose no Jutsu, and now it was finally time to try it out. "So can I try the jutsu now? Or do you want me to write an essay first?" Naruto asked, clearly annoyed of the fact of only getting theory-based lessons on how to summon toads. "Show some respect brat. And yes, give the technique a try." The sannin responded.

Naruto bit his lips and started on the hand seals for the summoning. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu" The blond said slamming his palm on the floor. Jiraiya watched in pride as a cloud of smoke appeared, he was sure that the summoning had been successful. Suddenly the sannin's face changed to one of horror and fear. _"No, there's no way my luck can be this bad."_ The white haired man thought as the cloud started to disperse revealing the strongest of all toad summons, Gamabunta. "So, I'm guessing that the jutsu went alright." Naruto said looking at the leader of the toads.

"Jiraiya, why have you summoned me?" Gamabunta asked with an angry tone as he looked at the white haired man. "I didn't summon you." Jiraiya tried to explain, "This is Naruto." The sannin said shoving the genin forward with his elbow. "He's the one you have to flatten, I mean, He's the one who summoned you." The man said before looking away whistling. Gamabunta looked at the blond standing next to the pervert. "You expect to believe that this brat was able to summon me, the toad boss." Gamabunta snorted.

Naruto looked up at the giant toad with narrowed eyes; Gamabunta caught the blonde's eyes, for some reason they seemed familiar. "Wait a minute." The toad said when he realized where he had seen those eyes before. "Arashi, you have the same eyes as him." Gamabunta said examining the boy. "Well of course, he's his and Kagome's son." Jiraiya started. "How else do you think he was able to summon you?" The sannin explain.

Gamabunta's eyes warmed up slightly at hearing Jiraiya's explanation. "Who would have thought that I was going to be your first summon? Uh kid?" The toad boss said. "If Arashi-kun were here, he'd be on the floor laughing his ass off." Jiraiya said fondly. The three of them stood silent for a couple of minute, Jiraiya wearing a smile while Naruto and Gamabunta just half of one. "It's nice to meet you Gamabunta-_sama_." Naruto said with a smirk. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto."

-2 Weeks Later-

The Kuchiyose no Jutsu had gone pretty well, Gamabunta had willingly agreed to grant the toad summoning to Naruto; the only problem was that Jiraiya was slightly jealous that the toad boss seemed to like the boy better than he liked him.

But for the past two weeks Naruto and Jiraiya had use all their available time to work on the weapon. Just like Jiraiya had predicted, it had taken some time for Naruto to successfully summon it, and an even harder to control. Fortunately after two whole weeks the blond was starting to get the hand of it.

Jiraiya watched in pride as the cloud of dust started to disperse, _"Incredible, it took Arashi-kun two whole months to get to this level with 'it', and he already reach it in two weeks."_ The sannin thought. The dust cleared, Naruto stood in the middle panting, the boy's surroundings where completely destroyed. _"He's the vivid image of his father"_ The white haired man thought as he started towards the boy. "Very good kid." Jiraiya said approaching his student.

"You're starting to master it. It took your father much more time to cause this much destruction." Jiraiya said with a smirk as he looked at the surroundings, trees where completely destroy, torn in two or burned, and the ground around the blond was leveled. Naruto's face was adorned with a smirk of his own. "Didn't I tell you that it wasn't going to take me long to control." The genin said as he tried to catch his breath. "Don't get too cocky brat, you still have a long way to go." Crossing his arms and looking at the blond. "Anyways I think that's enough for today, we will pick up training tomorrow." The sannin said and walked away after receiving a nod of agreement form the boy.

Naruto walked back to his apartment. The last few weeks had been great to him, just like his time with the Sandaime, he dedicated all the time he could to training, and it was during those times that he felt slightly happy. The blond kept on walking until his whole body shook in pain, it wasn't only his heart this time that was on pain, but also his hands felt as though they were burning. The boy brought his right hand to his chest and used the other one to support himself on a tree nearby.

"_It's getting worse, and more frequent."_ The genin thought. Naruto waited a couple of seconds until the pain subsided, he could hear the fox laughing his head off inside of him _"One of these days fox,"_ the boy thought. _"One of these days I'll figure out a way to use Tsukuyomi on you, and when that day comes it'll be my turn to laugh."_

Once the pain had diminished, Naruto started on his way once again, only a couple of minutes had passed when he heard someone call out "Hey, Naruto wait up"

The blond turned around to watch a black haired boy with a picnic basket full of fruit on his hand. "I knew it was you." Shikamaru said when he got closer. "Shikamaru, what are you doing here?" The blond asked. "I'm just heading to the hospital." The black haired boy started. "I'm going there to see Chouji, he's there with a sever indigestion, want to come?" The lazy boy asked. Naruto meditated on the idea for a couple of seconds. "What's with the basket?" The blonde asked. "Oh, since Chouji is not allowed to eat because of his indigestion, I thought that I'll go down there and eat in front of him." Shikamaru responded with a smirk. "I thought that it'd be good for a few laughs." The boy added started on his way to the hospital. Naruto stood in silence for a few seconds before following Shikamaru.

Naruto and Shikamaru made it to the hospital in a couple of minutes. The blond had two different views of Konoha's hospital, one was the he didn't like it because of the whiteness in every single room, not even in his current…..emotional state was he able to stand the mundane room. On the other hand, must of the hospital personal treat him like a human being and that made him slightly content.

The boys headed towards Chouji's room, Shikamaru had already visited him before so he knew the way. Suddenly Naruto felt an evil presence nearby, the blond looked around trying to find the source, his gaze stopped at a door that was slightly open, Naruto recognize Rock Lee sleeping on the bed, he probably was still recuperating, but what really shocked the genin was the sand he could see swirling around inside.

Naruto dashed to the door and threw a kunai, the weapon cut through the sand that was about to choke the unconscious taijutsu expert on the bed. The blond looked at the other person in the room, dark blue met aquamarine. A powerful killing intent emerged from the two boys. "You were the one that defeated the dog boy." Gaara said in a monotonous tone, not unlike Naruto's. "I'm intrigued by your existence." The red haired said as the sand started to once again to swirl violently around him.

Gaara tried to bring his hand upfront, but found out he couldn't. "I think that you should reconsider attacking a defenseless shinobi, especially if he's surrounded by his comrades." Shikamaru said; the boy had caught the sand-nin's shadow, preventing Gaara from moving. The redhead returned most of the sand back to his gourd. "At the Chunin Exam" Gaara began. "I'm going to kill you both." The sand-nin said before disappearing in a swirl of sand.

As Naruto checked to see if Lee was alright, the blond could hear the fox inside him chuckle. "It's going to get really interesting in two weeks." The blond said looking at the boy behind him. Shikamaru was trying to retrieve some of the fruit that had roll away when the lazy nin let the basket fall to stop Gaara, but most of the fruits had roll away who knows where. "We should get something with meat." The blond said with as smirk. "It'll be funnier that way." Naruto finished as he walked out of the room, Shikamaru stood up and smirked before following the blond.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry that it took so long to update. I never expected to have so much trouble typing it, first I didn't have any inspiration, then when I decided to begin my computer had some problems, and when I finally fixed them the inspiration was all gone. Well at least the chapter is finished now. Some people asked me to make Naruto a little more like he was before, I decided to change that idea and use dry humor, I think it goes well with Naruto's personality. Don't know when I will update next, it will probably be some time, hopefully not as much as it took for this one. Please Review.

* * *

**


	10. Proud Eyes

**_Proud Eyes _**

"This day…came way too fast." Naruto said as he sat up on his bed and looked out the window; the sun completely blinded the blond, the jinchuuriki was forced to close his eyes and open then little by little, so that they would adjust to the brightness on the outside. "I really hate days that are this bright" The genin remarked bitterly.

Naruto moved to the edge of his bed and tried to push himself up. Suddenly, the world completely froze for the blond as he found himself falling towards the floor. Naruto managed to regain control of his body and prevent his face from meeting the floor of his apartment. _"What's going on?"_ The blond asked himself. _"Nothing like that has ever happen, there was no pain or anything, just numbness, and the fox has stayed quite, normally he makes some sort of remark about the jolt of pain. This…this must be for a completely different reason…"_ The boy thought as he went back up on his feet. "What is going to happen today?" Naruto asked as he looked out of the window. Surely, the morning was just too bright.

* * *

The girl walked quietly through the halls of her house in search of her father; she finally found him looking at something in the garden. She walked up to him trying to stay quite; she knew that it was of no use and that her father had probably sensed her from the beginning. "Otou-sama?" The girl asked and was taken aback when her father jolted in surprise and turned around. 

"Hanabi" Hiashi said to acknowledge his daughter's presences and trying to hide the fact that he had been startled.

The girl looked in the direction her father was staring so fiercely that he had left himself open to any possible attack. There sitting in the Branch Family garden sat her cousin.

Neji was sitting in the ground with his legs crossed and was gathering enormous amount of chakra throughout his body. Hanabi saw as a leaf was about to fall on Neji's shoulder, the black haired boy whispered something before his whole body was covered by chakra, which started to spin around him. The force of the chakra had cut the leaf into many pieces and was blowing everything else away.

"How is it possible?" Hiashi asked, "For him to create such a powerful Kaiten without moving his body at all, what type of training has he undergo in this past month?" The Main Family's head asked.

Hanabi wished she could answer her father, but she was completely hypnotized by the boy from the Branch Family to even try to formulate an answer.

"Did his hatred for the Main Family drive him to this point?" Hiashi whispered to himself.

* * *

"Do you really think he'll make his move today?" Jiraiya asked as he leaned against the window's frame in the Hokage's office. 

Sarutobi removed the pipe from his mouth before responding. "I wouldn't doubt it; it would be the best time to try something like that." The Sandaime took a scroll from the cabinet and let it roll for the white haired sannin to catch it. "Please give this to Naruto when you deem the time is right." The older man requested.

Jiraiya examined the scroll on his hand with confusion until he finally figured out what it was. "You can give it to him yourself, it's not like you're going anywhere, right?" The white haired mans said as he looked at his former sensei, the look on his eyes was one of pleading for reassurance.

"Please," Sarutobi began. "For Arashi-kun's and my sake, just in case…" The Sandaime said.

Jiraiya couldn't remember seeing his sensei this old before. The sannin sighed before securing the scroll in his vest's pocket. "Very well, I'll guard the scroll for now."

"Thank you Jiraiya-kun." The Sandaime said as he smiled at his former student.

The white haired sannin glared at the Hokage. "I though I told you to cut that '-kun' thing years ago." Jiraiya said as he crossed his arms and stood indignantly, all in an attempt to lighten the mood in the room.

Jiraiya behavior caused Sarutobi to chuckle. "I guess old habits die hard." The Hokage said.

"Just like you." Jiraiya said as he smiled at the man that was once, and he will always be, his sensei.

* * *

"Where are they?" Shikamaru thought as he looked at his surroundings, he could see the sand siblings, Shino, Neji, and a shinobi who had introduced himself as Genma, their referee for the conclusion of the Chunin Exam, but there was not trace from the two members of Team 7. 

Genma looked up to where the Hokage and the other judges where sitting. The Sandaime nodded in acknowledge of the proctor. "If they don't appear soon then we will have to start without them, they have until their matches come up to arrive" Genma started as he looked at the genins in front of him. "If they fail to show up by then, they will be disqualified." The jounin finished.

Shikamaru's teeth gritted against each other, it wasn't like those guys to miss out of something like this. Especially Naruto after what they had talked.

* * *

– Flashback – 

Naruto and Shikamaru were sitting at the park playing shogi; they had left the Hospital after almost causing Chouji, according to the doctors, a mental breakdown. During their time at the park, the two genins had talked about the Academy, their missions, and the previous part of Chunin Exam, it wasn't the most energetic conversation, but at least it was something.

Now they have finally gotten to the topic which Shikamaru was most interested, or at least slightly concerned, on. "So, what are your thoughts on the Final Exam?" The Nara asked as he moved one of his pieces in the board.

The blonde's gaze was fixed on the board as he responded. "Can't really say, there are too many variables to try to predict a possible outcome, I'm sure you have come to the same conclusion." Naruto said as he moved one of his pieces and finally looked up.

"That's true" Shikamaru confirmed as he took his time to analyze the game. "But at least tell me what your thoughts on Neji are; after all, he's your first opponent." The black haired boy requested as he made his move in the game board.

Naruto stayed quiet for more than a minute, during which his eyes never left his shogi pieces. "What do you know about the Juin Jutsu?" The blond asked moving a piece on the board.

Shikamaru frowned slightly as he tried to recall the information he had learned. "Not much" The Nara responded. "Just that it has something to do with the Hyuuga Branch family." The black haired genin moved one of his pieces before looking at the blond in front of him. "Why do you ask?" Shikamaru questioned.

The blond genin continued studying the game board as he answered the question. "As you may know, the Hyuuga Main family uses the Branch family as servants." Naruto waited for Shikamaru to nod before continuing. "Well, have you ever wondered why the Branch family has done nothing to stop them?" The genin asked as he moved a shogi piece.

The Nara frowned again, he never had given it too much thought, but now that Naruto had brought it out, he wondered. _"What's stopping the Branch house?"_ The black haired boy thought.

After seeing that Shikamaru had no way of responding, Naruto continued with his explanation. "Juin Jutsu" The blond began. "It's a seal that is placed on every member of the Branch family. With this seal, if a member of the Main family deems one of them as rebellious, he or she will be able to destroy him just by activating the seal with a simple hand sign." Naruto finished as he looked up at Shikamaru.

The black haired boy's eyes were wide in shock; he couldn't believe that the nobles of Konoha were doing something like this.

"Sarutobi-jisan told me that at one point, the seal was used to protect the Byakugan from falling into enemy hands, but now it's merely used as a method of slavery, becoming the Caged Bird Seal." Naruto paused long enough to move one of his pieces. "Imagine it, all your life being forced to do the biding of someone that you are supposed to a call a _relative_, having no say over your life, living in fear of your superiors killing you just because they see it fit. Wouldn't you hate them? Wouldn't you take any chance you get to make one of them feel the pain they have imposed on you for years?" Naruto looked at Shikamaru straight in the eye. "If you get the chance, wouldn't you kill one of them just to make them feel what it's like to lose one of their own?"

Shikamaru was taken aback by what the blond had said and took a minute to recompose himself. "Are you making excuses for Neji's behavior towards Hinata?" The Nara asked as he examined the blond.

"I'm not making excuses for anybody." Naruto responded. "But if anything happens during my match in the Finals, I wanted you to at least know that motive for one of us." The blond said as he got up. "See you around, Shikamaru." Naruto said as he turned to leave.

The Nara watched the blond leave before his gaze fell down to the board once more. Shikamaru's eye's widened slightly in surprise before he smirked and said in a low voice. "You forgot to say _Tsumi_, Naruto." Shikamaru said, not sure if his friend had heard him.

– End of Flashback –

* * *

Shikamaru was able to decipher the blonde's cryptic message. _"Neither Neji nor him will stop at anything in this fight, they both have their motives for which to win, but then… why isn't he here yet?"_ The lazy genin thought as he frowned at not being able to understand the situation. 

"Well," Genma began. "I have to ask for the participants that are not in the first match to please leave the are-" The jounin was silenced when a small twister made out of leaves appear in the arena, inside the twister the figure of Kakashi and Sasuke appeared.

The audience gasped when the leaves started to move, but it changed to cheers when the Uchiha appeared. "Troublesome" Shikamaru muttered as he glared at the audience.

"Sorry we were late, Genma" Kakashi apologized. "Sasuke here got lost on the way to the stadium." The silver haired shinobi said as he pointed at his student.

"Liar" Sasuke said with a snort.

Genma sighed at his comrade's behavior. "Anyways, as I was saying, the participants that are not in the first match; please go wait in the stands so that we get this over with." The proctor said as he waited for the genins, and Kakashi, to move.

"I'll be in the audience with Sakura and the others." Kakashi informed the raven haired genin before ruffling his hair, which caused the Uchiha survivor to growl in anger, and leaving towards the spectators stands while Sasuke followed Shino, Neji, Kankuro, and Gaara to the waiting terrace, leaving Genma, Shikamaru, and Temari in the arena.

Shikamaru watched as the Suna kunoichi got into a fighting stance and Genma prepared to give the start signal. "This is such a drag." The Nara muttered since he knew that he needed to drag the fight for as long as his chakra reserves would allow him, to give a certain blond enigma time to show up.

* * *

A yawn could be hear through the trees of Konoha's forest as a certain white haired man tried to sneak a peak in the girl's side of the hot springs, so far Jiraiya had been unsuccessful of getting a clear image. "The brat's match should be coming up pretty soon." The sannin said to no one in particular. "Maybe I should start to make my way towards the stadium." The perverted author wondered as he looked at the sky. 

A second yawn was heard as the sannin brought out a sake bottle. "Or maybe I should finish this bottle first." Jiraiya said in a more energetic voice as he removed the bottle's cap.

* * *

Shikamaru sighed as he arrived at terrace, the Nara had ended up giving up the match when he's chakra supply had run out, his strategy during the match had not been one of wining, but merely one to stall. _"Well, it's not like I wanted to win, this way I don't have to compete again, but…"_ The black haired boy looked at the others in the terrace and sighed once again, this time of disappointment. _"…He still isn't here."_

The lazy genin looked down at the arena to watch Shino and Kankuro. "At least there is one more match before his, and best of all, he wasn't here to see me giving up." Shikamaru mutter to himself, knowing that the blond would never let him live that one down. The Nara frowned as something from the Suna shinobi caught his attention. _"Is it me? Or is that guy so nervous that he's shaking?"_ The genin thought.

_"Damn, this is not good."_ Kankuro thought as he quickly glanced towards the terrace, his gaze directing straight towards Gaara. _"Temari's match was too long, Gaara is getting anxious."_ The puppet user could feel his brother's chakra and killer intent rise every second. _"He won't be able to control it soon."_

Genma looked at the two genins. "Are you two ready?" The jounin asked as he prepared himself to start the match.

"I give up!" Kankuro exclaimed, taking the whole audience by surprised and earning a gasp from them. _"I don't know how long this fight would last, but I bet it'll be longer than Gaara's patience, if he doesn't kill someone soon we will all be in trouble."_ The puppet user thought to himself.

"Very well" Genma started. "The winner of this match is Aburame Shino."

Kankuro stared to make his wait towards the terrace, he could fill the glare of disappointment and anger from behind the bug user's shades, even if the Aburame's face remained stoic.

"Damn it" Shikamaru cursed under his breath. _"I thought he had more time"_ The Nara thought as he watched Kankuro and Shino return to the terrace, and Neji descend to the arena.

Genma watched as Neji approached the center of the arena. "If Uzumaki Naruto does not appear in five minutes, he will lose by default." Genma announced to the participants and the audience.

Shikamaru could clearly see the frown on Neji's face. _"I guess he doesn't want to win this way"_ The Nara thought as he felt the five minutes pass like seconds. "Well, I guess his time is up…" The black haired genin whispered in resignation.

"What are you talking about? I'm right here." Came a voice from behind the Nara. The voice made five out of the six genin present turn around in surprise. Naruto was leaning against the wall casually as though he were unaware that he was about to be disqualified.

Shikamaru had frowned the moment he heard the blonde's voice, but his frown soon leave to make place to smirk. "And where the hell have you been?" The black haired genin asked.

"Around" The blond answered simply, still no giving any sign of going to the arena for his match.

Suddenly, Shikamaru frowned again. "How long have you been there?" The Nara asked.

Naruto looked at the lazy genin in the eyes and something the resembled a smirk came into his face. "I saw you giving up, if that's what you're asking." The blond responded.

The black haired boy sighed as the blond stared to walk towards the end of the terrace.

"I came in halfway during you match, I was watching from the roof, sorry to make you worry." Naruto apologized as he jumped from the terrace window and landed in the arena.

Sasuke frowned at his teammate's behavior; he hadn't acknowledged Sasuke's presence or any of the other genins besides Shikamaru. In fact, after the Forest of Death, the little communication that they had had during he Chunin Exam had become almost nonexistent.

Genma watched as the blond walked to the center of the arena where Neji and he were standing, the jounin made a note of how much the killing intent in the arena had increased due to Naruto and Neji merely looking at each other.

"I was starting to think that you weren't going to show up" Neji commented as the blond stood before him.

"You should have known better." Naruto simply responded.

_"Man, I feel like the temperature of this arena has dropped many degrees"_ Genma thought as he looked from one genin to the other. "The third match of the finals is about to start. Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuuga Neji" Genma called up as he raised his hand. "Commence!" The jounin shouted as he brought his hand down. A second later, the two genins disappeared.

Sound, sound was the only thing that alerted most of the audience that a match was underway. Those who had not train as a shinobi could only hear the clash of metal that indicated that the two boys had taken out weapons. Even some of the nins among the crowd were having problems following the fight, all they saw were blurs from time to time, and an image of the two genins when their momentum was broken every time their attacks met.

The two genins finally stopped in the middle of the arena, kunai against kunai, each boy tried to push the other. _"How much strength are they putting in each blow?"_ Kakashi wondered as he watched them from the audience, their cloths were starting to become ragged from the backlash of their attacks.

_"Just as I expected"_ Naruto thought as he stood in his ground. _"We're about the same in armed combat"_ The blond concluded as he recalled what has happened during their exchange of blows, he had tried to attack every place where he had seen a shadow of an opening, and he was sure that Neji had done the same, yet none of their attacks came close as the other's blade was right there to stop the blow. _"Let's make this interesting"_

Naruto brought his kunai down, taking Neji by surprise and giving himself an opening. The blond tried to drive his fist to the side of the Hyuuga's face, but was stopped by the black haired genin's. Naruto was able to see a smirk for on Neji's face just before the Hyuuga move his hand and sent his kunai towards the blonde's face. Naruto had to step back to prevent the kunai from impaling his chin.

As soon as the blond stepped back, Neji started to gather chakra in the index and middle finger of his left hand, and jammed them into his opponent's chest, sending Naruto back.

Genma watched as the Uzumaki kid grunted in pain. _"That attack was really close to the heart."_ The jounin thought as the blond put his hand on his chest where the blow had landed. "These kids aren't playing around." Genma whispered to himself.

Once the pain had resided slightly, Naruto looked up to see Neji smirk and get into a specific stance. The blond knew what was coming next and, for his sake, he had to stop the Hyuuga.

Neji started forward as he began his attack, the blond followed suit and rushed to the Hyuuga. Naruto was able to stop Neji's attack by intercepting the black haired boy's forearm, effectively nullifying Neji's momentum.

Naruto grabbed the Hyuuga's arm and closed his fist, preparing his retaliation for what the black haired boy had done earlier. At that moment, Naruto heard the Hyuuga mutter the words "Fudou Kaiten". Something in the blonde's mind told him that he needed to get away, after realizing that it wasn't the fox's doing but actually his own common sense, Naruto jumped back, less than a second later Neji was covered in a chakra dome.

Everyone in the audience who was familiar with the Hyuuga fighting style gasped; Neji had perform a stable Kaiten without moving his body, as far as the shinobi that were watching knew, that was impossible.

"So he brought it out" Hiashi thought as he watched his nephew from the stands.

The chakra dome started to disappear, leaving Neji standing unharmed; a ring had been formed around him by the spinning chakra. "Kaiten?" Naruto's question was answered by Neji's smirk.

"Even someone like you would see that advantage." Neji started. "By not being forced to spin along with the chakra, I'm able to freely retaliate. This technique is my new sword and shield."

Naruto snorted as he took out another kunai. "There's no sword I can't break or shield I can't pierce." The blond said before rushing towards the Hyuuga. Neji smirked as he started to emanate chakra from his body.

As soon as the kunai left Naruto's hand, the black haired genin willed that chakra to spin and protect him. After his kunai was deflected, Naruto took out a pair of shuriken and sent them towards the Hyuuga prodigy, whose chakra dome merely knocked them upward. Immediately, the blond started to make hand seals. "Shuriken Kage Bushin no Jutsu" The genin said before the two shuriken in the air became two hundred.

The rain of shuriken fell on the chakra dome, but merely bounced of. "Useless" Neji muttered as he took out a couple of kunais and threw them at the blond one by one.

Naruto was caught by surprise by the kunais, he had been too preoccupied with figuring out a way pass the kaiten, the blond had to jump to dodge the kunais. _"That boy has the Uzumaki kid stuck in a corner"_ Genma thought as he watched the genin land at a safe distance from the Hyuuga.

_"Maybe if I add more power"_ Naruto thought as he made six bushin appear. The clones rushed towards the chakra dome from all sides, the attack caused four of them to disappear and knock back the other two, a pair of kunais from the inside of the dome took care of the remaining bushin.

"Why is Naruto wasting his energy by attacking with bushin?" Sakura asked her sensei who had come to sit next to her. "I mean, it didn't work the first time…"

Kakashi answered his pink haired student without taking his eyes off the fight. "He's looking for Neji's weakness, at this point the only way for him to overcome a new technique is by trial and error, lets just hope that he finds a way around it before he runs out of chakra." The jounin said.

Neji observed with a smirk as the Narutos surrounded him, he merely took out a kunai and waited for the real Naruto to appear above him. "That trick was too obvious" The Hyuuga said when he saw Naruto appear above with his Byakugan. The black haired genin throw the kunai up impaling the blond.

Soon, Neji's smirk faded as the Naruto became a cloud of smoke. Behind the smoke the real Naruto smirked as he created one more bushin. Using the bushin's feet to propel himself down, the blond gathered chakra in his fist. He was traveling down way too fast for Neji to prevent his fist from connecting with the upper part of the chakra dome.

There was some sort of pulse that shook the arena the moment Naruto's fist clashed with Neji's shield, it was followed, half of a second later, by an explosion indicating that the shield had been broken. Neji had managed to jump out of the way to prevent from been caught in the explosion, as the dust settled, it revealed the blond taking his fist from the hole it had made on the ground.

"I told you I would pierce through it" Naruto said as he looked at the Hyuuga. "It was a pretty good defense, I give you that, but it's obvious you haven't mastered it yet." The blond continued in an almost mocking tone. "To release so much chakra from every part of your body, it was just a matter of time before its weakness became obvious. Normally it would be rather easy to control chakra that's released forward, and you can use the momentum created by it to move that chakra behind you if you get any problems, but to control the chakra above you while maintaining it harmonized with the one that's orbiting you, it's easy for it to become unstable" Naruto explained.

Neji gritted his teeth, he was aware of the Kaiten's weakness, but he never thought that it would become a hindrance against Naruto, he had completely underestimated the blond, and now his exhaustion was telling him that he was paying the price for his mistake.

The blond genin took note of the Hyuuga's weakened state. "And the fact that you're panting, it seems that pulling that stunt has taken a toll on you." Naruto teased.

"I still have enough strength to defeat you" Neji said as he got ready, lowering his body and tilting it forward, and with his right arm stretched back. Naruto could feel Neji's chakra concentrating and prepared himself for the technique that was coming. "Hakke Rokujuuyonshou" Neji said as he rushed forward.

2

The strike were met by Naruto's forearms, but missed their targets.

4

Only one of the strikes hit, the blond had managed to dodge the other two.

8

Half of the strikes landed.

16

Neji was getting frustrated when only six strikes hit, the Hyuuga pushed his body even further.

32

Twenty strikes hit, but the rest were stopped by the blond before they could hit their mark.

64

Neji pushed his body to the limit and landed fifty strikes on Naruto, sending the blond crashing down against a tree.

The audience cheered as they watched the Uzumaki brat being struck down by the Hyuuga prodigy.

Soon, the cheers started to die out as the blond struggled to stand up. Naruto walked towards the middle of the arena in silence, he stopped when he was in front of Neji and the audience had completely silenced.

Neji could see that something resembling a smile came to the blond genin's face. Naruto looked up and his gaze fell on the audience. "Look at them, every one of these persons that came to see that fight between Sasuke and Gaara, are looking at you right now Neji, the prodigy, the strongest Hyuuga of this generation. You don't know how jealous of you I am right now; all my life all I wanted was for someone to actually worry that I might lose, not praying for my defeat" The genin said.

Above the audience, in the judges' stands, Sarutobi's face saddened as he sensed the pain in the blonde's voice.

Naruto snorted before continuing. "These past months, I thought I had thrown all those petty feelings away, yet…" Naruto looked at Neji before looking down at the ground. "You have always been praised for those eyes of yours, your mastery with them is what sets you aside from the rest and causes others to be proud of your accomplishments, but, the same things that makes me unique, would only curse my life even more."

Neji remained silent and let Naruto continue as he tried to decipher what the blond was trying to say.

Still, without removing his eyes from the ground, the blond genin continued. "But now I've come to realize that, no matter what I do, my whole life will always be cursed, and I don't want to keep hiding who I am now that I know that the happiness I wished for when I was younger is nothing but a fool's hope!" Naruto almost shouted.

The Sandaime wouldn't have been surprise if he had felt tears running down his cheek, the pain in the boy's voice had turned into an anger that was long since due for its release.

_"Naruto…, are you going to use it…?"_ Sakura thought as she watched her teammate and recalled what had happened in the Forest of Death.

Shikamaru frowned as he watched his friend from the terrace. _"I knew there was something wrong with Naruto, but I never thought that…"_

All the time, Kakashi had remained silent; the guilt inside him was too much to try to speak.

Even Sasuke was completely speechless at what he's teammate had said. _"I didn't know…"_

"Now" Naruto started again. "I'm not going to hide it anymore." Neji could see the gathering of chakra around the blonde's eyes. "I want you to take a good look at them Neji" The genin continued. "The eyes, that unlike you, I'm not proud of!" Naruto finished as he raised his head and looked at Neji straight in the eye.

Neji along with everyone in the stands gasped as one word entered all of their minds "Sharingan."

* * *

Tsumi – Checkmate

Fudou Kaiten – Immobile Heavenly Spin (Made it up, inspired by Virgo Shaka's Kahn from Saint Seiya)

Hakke Rokujuuyonshou – Eight Divination Signs, Sixty-Four Palms of the Hand

--------------------------------

**A/N - I'm sorry it took so long, I never expected it to take this long really, my only excuse is that I'm lazy and I could not bring myself to write this chapter, aka writer's block. Hopefully I won't take this long to update the next chapter, but if I do, don't think I have giving up on this fic, I'm not planning on doing that. Also I would like to thank my friend Dragon Noir who helped me get through my block and helps me with all of my Naruto-related fics and ideas, no matter how crazy they are, and some of my Saint Seiya work. Thanks for reading, please review.**


	11. Not Far from You

**A/N – Sorry the update took so long; once again, it was longer that I expected, it was one of those things where everything seem to come in together at the same time, actually one after the others. First it was the beginning of the chapter; it was really hard for me to get started, in fact one of the parts in the beginning was the last thing to be written. During the time I had the most motivation, I had to get my computer fixed, that alone set the whole thing back a whole month. I had two long term assignments which took a month each. In compensation for the delay, this chapter is a little longer that the others and hopefully that next won't take too long.**

**

* * *

**

_**Not Far From You**_

"Now" Naruto started again. "I'm not going to hide it anymore." Neji could see the gathering of chakra around the blonde's eyes. "I want you to take a good look at them Neji" The genin continued. "The eyes, that unlike you, I'm not proud of!" Naruto finished as he raised his head and looked at Neji straight in the eye.

Neji along with everyone in the stands gasped as one word entered all of their minds "Sharingan".

Silence…

"_I don't understand; those are Uchiha's eyes…"_

"_Those can't be real, that has to be one of the brat's tricks"_

"_Is he really an Uchiha?"_

"_Is this a trick from the fox? That brat cannot have the Sharingan!"_

"_I thought that there was only two Uchiha left"_

"_What's going on here?"_

"_Uchiha…"_

"_Demon…"_

"_Sharingan…"_

"_Those eyes…"_

The sound of a rock crumbling was heard throughout the stadium. Immediately, the eyes from everyone in the audience shifted from the blond to the terrace. "Sasuke…" Sakura whispered, she had feared that something like this would happen.

The place were Sasuke's hand was lying was surrounded by dust and pieces of the terrace were falling into the arena. Sakura had to retain a gasp as her eyes focused on the raven haired boy's. Sasuke's Sharingan had been activated; both eyes were shaking with fierce intensity as they stare at the blond genin down at the arena.

Sasuke did not completely understand, he remembered when his father told him about their bloodline, he remembered the day he had achieved his Sharingan, those eyes had awaken to save Naruto.

Beyond his feeling of confusion, the raven haired boy felt kind of happy, maybe, just maybe, he was not alone as he believed. The thought of another Uchiha filled the genin with hope.

The feeling of happiness was soon overshadowed by the stronger feeling of confusion, the fact that a new Sharingan had appeared before him had sent the Uchiha into shock, Sasuke had yet to realize that his body was trembling uncontrollably, his fist tightened to a critical point, and his Sharingan eyes fixed on his teammate.

Back in the arena, Neji had been able to keep his posture, but his mind was just as confuse as the rest of the villagers. _"Is this some kind of trick?"_ The Hyuuga thought as his Byakugan looked directly at the blond in front of him. _"This is not a genjutsu, I would have been able to notice if he had cast one."_ The prodigy came to that conclusion. _"What are you planning?"_

"It's really careless of you to let your guard down at this point of the match." Naruto's voice reached Neji's ears; immediately, the black haired boy's eyes widened as he realized that the blond had appear behind him. Neji managed to jump out of the way less than a second before Naruto had swiped his arm right through where the Hyuuga had been standing.

Naruto's eyes moved upward as his Sharingan bore into the still airborne genin just as Neji's Byakugan was directed at Naruto.

A second later, the blond appeared right in front the Hyuuga, driving his fist right towards the prodigy's face. Neji was obliged to block the punch with his right forearm due to the attack's great speed.

Even if the black haired genin was able to prevent the full impact of the attack from connecting, the punch had been strong enough to send the Hyuuga flying towards the wall at the edge of the arena.

Naruto's feet touched the ground, his eyes never leaving the black haired boy. The blond took a second to examine that crow; even now, a vast majority of the villagers were still in a state of shock because of his Sharingan. Naruto snapped out of it just in time to move his head and prevent Neji's strike from connecting. _"At least it seems that he has been able to overcome his confusion."_ The blond thought as he kept on dodging the Hyuuga's incoming attacks.

As the exchange of blows continued, the blond was able to stop the black haired boy's assault for a moment. Then, Naruto raised his right leg and directed a kick towards the prodigy.

Responding instantaneously, Neji raised his knee to stop the blonde's attack, but the kick was strong enough to send the Hyuuga back.

Without wasting any time, Naruto dashed towards his opponent, gathering chakra in his fist. Just before the punch reached the black haired boy, the blonde's attack was stopped by Neji's Fudou Kaiten.

The boy could feel his skin burning away as his fist tried to break through the Hyuuga's shield. Naruto started to gather chakra in his feet and in his fist until the point that Neji's own chakra was started to be pushed back by Naruto, much like Sasuke's had done back in the forest.

The fact that his chakra was been push back was not lost to the prodigy. Acting before it was too late; Neji sent a strike towards the blond, only to be stopped by Naruto's forearm, the blond made sure that the attack didn't hit his tenketsu. Immediately, the trading of attacks was resumed.

"What is the meaning of those eyes?" Neji ask without breaking the exchange of attacks and blocks.

Naruto's voice remained monotonous as he responded. "This just is who I really am" The blonde's eyes narrowed slightly. "It's just an aspect of myself that I got tired of hiding." Naruto took at risk and tried a frontal attack, swinging his left fist towards the Hyuuga.

Immediately, Neji register the opening and prepared a strike directed at the blonde's chest. Right before his attack connected, the black haired boy became aware of the glint that had appeared in Naruto's eyes, but it was already too late.

Suddenly, the left hook that was traveling towards the black haired boy changed direction and grabbed his arm, that way it prevent the Hyuuga's attack from connecting, but also stopped him from retreating.

Before Neji could do anything about his current situation, the black haired boy found himself slammed against the wall at the edge of the arena once again, but this time he could feel a strong hold on his neck.

The Hyuuga struggled to remove the blonde's hold on his neck, but no matter how much he tried, the grip never loosened. "I promised" Naruto's voice reached Neji's ears; the monotonous tone had now become extremely cold. "That I was going to make you pay for what you did to Hinata." The strength of the hold increased and the prodigy was starting to find it hard staying focused.

Neji managed to send a glare in Naruto's direction. The Byakugan met the strange Sharingan, neither had any signs of backing down. Suddenly, the black haired boy heard the blond speak once again, if anything his voice had become even colder. "Tsukuyomi" It was the only thing Neji was able to hear before he realized that he wasn't in the arena anymore.

He couldn't feel the blonde's grip on his neck anymore. The Hyuuga looked around and found himself in a field, actually it was more like a wasteland since there was a no sign of life as far as he could see, but it wasn't the lack of flora and fauna that that caught the black haired prodigy's attention. The sky was tainted an ominous crimson color while the land and the dead trees he could see were as black as the darkest night.

After analyzing the surrounding field, as far as his line of sight would allow him, Neji tried to move his body, but, to the boy's horror, he found himself bonded and unable to move.

"How many times…?" Naruto's voice reached the Hyuuga's ears. Immediately, Neji became aware that the blonde was standing right in front of him, and, just like everything else in that weird place, he was nothing more than a black silhouette.

Neji tried to force the binding that tied him but without successful results. "What the hell is this?" The black haired boy demanded the blond in front of him.

The Sharingan user did not make any sign of acknowledgement to the Hyuuga's question, but merely continued. "How many times, after you came to the Hyuuga state exhausted from a mission, were the other members of the Branch House waiting for your return?" Naruto asked quietly.

"What…?" The black haired boy asked, confused by the blonde's questions.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he regarded the prodigy in front of him. "All my life," The blond began. "I had to come into an empty apartment, if I was able to make it back at all." Naruto let out something resembling a laugh that could only be describe as cold and dry. "Also, there were those times when I would come in to find the whole place completely destroyed, those days I would sleep in the least trashed corner of the apartment, if I was lucky, because most time it didn't exist, and I would sleep outside by the door while thanking Kami that they at least didn't burn down the place."

The Hyuuga's glare stayed in place as he looked at the blond, trying to figure out where he was going with telling him about his past.

"There was only one person that gave a damn about my wellbeing, but he had so many responsibilities that there was no way for him to always be there for me." A joyless smile appeared on Naruto's face before he continued. "I specifically remember one occasion, I was around six years old if I remember correctly, and there was a festival. I was really happy because I had some extra money that day and decided to spend it at the festival." The same cold dry laugh came from the blond once again. "I found this merchant that had come from the Border town to sell his masks at the festival; I remember finding the mask of a fox, I was fascinated with the mask, I thought it was the coolest thing in the world with its orange color and the three whiskers on each cheek, all my extra money went into buying that mask…" Naruto stopped as though he were lost in his own thoughts.

Taking the chance to analyze what was been told to him, Neji couldn't help but feel that there was something terrible at the end of the blonde's story.

A slight, ominous chuckle escaped the Sharingan user before he continued. "I was walking back to my apartment, I was really happy since it was rare for me to have something '_cool_', but then I came across a group of villagers, and the sight of me wearing that mask infuriated them, they immediately started shouting things like '_Monste_r' and '_He's going to attack'_, and started to gather wooden clubs, pipes, or anything they could find. Of course I started run, it wasn't much for fear of my safety my safety but because I didn't want them to take my mask away from me. I ran as fast as I could and took every shortcut I knew to try to get away from them," The smile in Naruto's face became one of sadness. "But I was still just a little kid back then, it wasn't long before I couldn't continue to run anymore and they caught up to me."

Neji's eyes widened at the blonde's revelation, the Hyuuga didn't need to hear the next part to figure out what happened, but he couldn't believe that something like that would happen in a '_peaceful_' village, a mob gathering to beat up a child just for wearing a mask seemed unreal to the black haired boy, but for some reason he believed every word of it.

"The beating was longer than usual because of the festival" Neji became aware that the blond had started to speak again. "I guess that they didn't have to worry about someone coming to stop them with all the celebrations, but really, who would have come for me anyways." Yet another dry laugh escaped the Sharingan user. "It's not like it hadn't happened before, but this time I was too far away from my apartment, I didn't know if I had the strength to make it back, and it wasn't long before I started to think that I wouldn't be able to make it out of this one, but that's when she…" Naruto's eyes seemed to be lost in the distance.

* * *

– Flashback –

The resonance of his steps could hardly be heard over the festival's music, even far away from the festivities, the villagers' cheers shrouded his suffering. Naruto felt his body's weight increase with each step he took, still many blocks away from his sanctuary; the blond boy was starting to lose hope of making it. "It got destroyed…" The boy whispered, his thought had drifted once again to the mask he had happily been wearing before the mess had started.

Almost as if the planet itself wanted to participate in the kid's 'punishment', gravity brought down the blonde's body into the floor. Naruto tried his best to stand up, but no matter how much the young boy tried, neither his legs nor his arms were able to support him.

Panting, the boy continued on his way by crawling, dragging his body with his weak, broken arms.

He hadn't even made it to the end of the alley, but he already felt extremely exhausted. Naruto's eyes had become heavy, and the hard, cold ground was starting to feel pleasantly comfortable. "Maybe…I'll just sleep for a couple of minutes…" The blond whispered to himself as he started to close his eyes.

Right before all light was blocked from his eyes, the boy heard something. It sounded like steps; they were too light to be an adult's, probably some kid that got curious by seeing an orange and red mass on the floor. Using the little strength he had left, Naruto looked up. Sapphire blue eyes met pearly white.

She seemed to be about the same age as him, her skin was almost as white as her eyes, her short blue hair didn't even reach her shoulders, except for the two bangs on each side of her face, she was wearing a yellow kimono, and her face radiated with innocence.

The girl looked curiously at him, at though he was the first person she'd ever seen. Naruto remained quiet as he stare back at her, his mind had already made its own prediction about what was going to happen next.

A little gasp escaped the girl before she turned around and ran off the blonde's sight, it had been just like Naruto had predicted, it had happened every time another kid had found him after a beating, the blonde imagined the girl running towards her parents saying something about a dirty orange thing she had found.

Sighing, the boy started to wonder what he should do next. Sleeping right there on the ground still seemed as a good idea; if he was lucky, he would just wake up in the morning, and if he was really lucky, he wouldn't. His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of steps once again, except that this time they seemed rushed, whoever was approaching had broken into an all out run.

Looking up, Naruto gasped in surprise, the same girl was running towards him, her innocent face was now a mix of fear and worry, and she was also carrying some sort of bottle in her arms. Surprising the blond boy once again, the girl knelt down in front of him.

The blue haired girl opened the bottle she was carrying and placed the mouth opening by the boy's lips. Not knowing what to do, Naruto just drank whatever was in the bottle, needing the girl's help to tilt it so he could drink the solution entirely.

Naruto felt something almost immediately, whatever was in the bottle was amazing because the boy could feel his strength returning and the pain receding. The blond looked up and gazed directly at the girl's eyes.

She simply smiled at him. Naruto was left speechless; only two persons had bothered to give the blond a smile before. The boy couldn't help the blush that spread on his face, he tried to say something; he tried to thank the girl for helping him, thank her for coming back for him, thank her for simply smiling at him.

"Hinata-sama, where are you?" The call reached the two kids, immediately the girl gasped and stood up. She turned around started on her way, Naruto tried to stand up and say something to her but found himself unable to do so.

The girl stopped for a moment and turned around to look at the boy one more time, her eyes were still showing her worry about the blond. "Hinata-sama!" A second voice was heard and the she looked away from the boy and continued on her way.

Naruto could only watch her disappear from his sight as he tried to reach her, as he tried to thank her for caring about him, but as hard as he tried, she was already too far away.

– End Flashback –

* * *

"Later I found out who she was." Naruto continued as another cold smile. "Imagine my surprise when I learned that the person that helped me was practically Konoha royalty; Hinata Hyuuga, the heiress to the Hyuuga clan." For a second, Naruto's eyes were shrouded by a melancholic look. "I was heartbroken, I couldn't even get close to her to say 'thank you', she was already treated badly as it was, and if they found out that she helped me, she would only be treated worse."

Neji remained quite; he was now starting to understand the reason behind the blonde's action back in the preliminaries. _"One of the only persons that gave a damn about him…"_ The boy thought as he saw the look on Naruto's eyes hardened.

The blonde's gaze fell completely on the Hyuuga; all sense of sadness had left the Sharingan user and was replaced by a dark, ominous feeling. "I did the only thing I could to return my gratitude for her kindness; on that day I promised that I would protect her, I would become her shield, and I would always be there to guard her from the darkness." Naruto's eyes were completely void of emotions now and the tone on his voice spoke of doom and destruction. "That's why…" Something started to materialize between the two Genins. "I can't forgive you for hurting her." A long, black sword was hovering in mid-air in front of the two boys.

The black haired boy could only stare at the blade as it inched towards him.

"And now you have to pay." Naruto's words came as a cold whisper. Neji's eyes widened in terror as the sword shot towards him.

* * *

It had been less than a second for the crowd in the arena since Neji was pushed against the wall by Naruto. The spectators did not know what was going on as the blond stepped away from the Hyuuga.

Kakashi's normal eye narrowed as he watched how Neji's whole body shook. The copy ninja had half a mind to use his Sharingan to understand this battle better.

As he struggle to stay up, Neji tried to focus his eyes to look at Naruto. "That was only a third of its power." The younger genin stated. At that moment, the Hyuuga could have sworn that the look in the eyes of the blond in front of him had softened. "It's not too late for you." Naruto's voice reached the black haired boy, snapping him out of the trance he had gotten into; the words were so soft that he was sure that not even the other shinobi in the crow could hear them. "You have a whole family supporting you, looking out for you, wishing for your well being. Please…" It seemed to the black haired boy as though the blonde's eyes were pleading. "Don't let their wish go to waste." Naruto whispered.

Neji did not know how to respond, he wanted to say something, maybe tell the blond that he knew nothing about his life, but he couldn't. Everything that the younger genin had said was true, Neji had tried his hardest to deny, the Hyuuga did not want to feel any connection to anyone else, but, as much as he tried to push them away, the other members of the Branch House had always been there, waiting for him at the door, to treat any wound, or just to simply ask how he was. Neji's body gave up on him and he found himself falling forward.

The Hyuuga was surprised when he didn't meet the floor, but that he had fallen on the blonde's shoulder. "Think back." Naruto's voice words reached him once again. "How many times, as you returned home, did you saw Hinata sitting by her window, waiting for you…?" He asked with the same soft voice. Neji's eyes widened as the memory of every homecoming rushed back to him, and in each one, he could see a girl by her window smiling at him.

As feelings of regret and guilt overwhelmed him, Neji's world turned into darkness.

Naruto caught the falling body, preventing him from hitting the floor. "I think this match is over" The blonde said as he looked at Genma.

Snapping out of his own trance, the proctor raised his hand. "The winner of this battle is Uzumaki Naruto!" He exclaimed.

The crowd remained quite; they didn't know what had happened as they watched the medic-nins walk into the arena and take the Hyuuga inside, no one dared to say or do anything as Naruto walked back to the participant balcony in a silent stadium.

The blond jumped into the terrace without saying a word, just like that rest of the people present in the stadium. As Naruto started walking towards the back, his Sharingan eyes shifted to the side, for a single second, and focused on Sasuke.

Shock, the initial surprised of the existence of another Sharingan had still yet to leave the raven haired boy. Anger, at himself for letting himself get so weak while his teammate had acquired so much strength. Fear, Sasuke had recognized that jutsu, so many times he had relived his experience with it in his nightmares, it was the same jutsu that his brother had obtain along with the Magenkyo Sharingan, but how could Naruto have it? The genin had already become aware of his shaking, but he was unable to will his body to stop.

Naruto walked until he reached the opposite wall. The blond sighed as he turned around and leaned back against the wall. _"Just like I expected…"_ The genin thought as his gaze fell down to the floor, the Sora Sharingan leaving his eyes.

_DRIP_

The sound of a drop falling on snapped the blond out of his trance. Naruto looked at his hand where blood was streaming down from his knuckles. "_It must have been when I punched Neji's Kaiten"_ The boy determined as he observed his fist.

Suddenly, Naruto heard a tearing sound and piece of cloth fell on his bleeding hand. "Clean up and stop making a mess." Shikaramu's voice reached the blond.

Looking up, the Sharingan-user could see the Nara standing in front of him; a piece of his jacket's sleeve had been tore. "Thanks…" The blond said in a soft voice as he cleaned his fist.

"Each time I think that I'm beginning to understand you, you come up with something completely unexpected." Shikarmaru commented as he crossed his arms and smirked. "Sharingan, uh? I can honestly say that I did not see that coming." He added as the blond returned the smirk.

The medical team had finally left the arena. _"I wonder what surprise this next match will bring."_ Genma thought. "I ask all the participants of the last match, Uchiha Sasuke and Sabaku no Gaara, please come down to the arena." Genma exclaimed.

Immediately, sand started to spin around Gaara, the redhead disappeared to later reappear standing in the middle of arena, many people in the audience shivered at the insane smile that he's face wore.

Sasuke was finally able to stop shaking. The black haired Uchiha looked back at the blond by the wall, for a fraction of a second, Naruto's blue eyes met Sasuke's Sharingan. Without saying a word, the black haired genin jumped into the arena and started to walk towards his opponent.

As soon as the Uchiha came into view, many of the spectators found their voice. The talk started right away, some talk about how a true Konoha elite would show everyone what a real shinobi is all about, a number were wondering how he would defeat the sand-nin, but others were thinking what Sasuke's thoughts were about the possibility of not been the last Uchiha in Konoha.

Genma waited until Sasuke reached the center. When it became apparent that there would not be any thrash-talk between the two genins, Genma raised his arm. "The fourth match of the finals is about to begin. Uchiha Sasuke vs. Sabaku no Gaara" The jounin looked at the two boys beside him. _"I hope we're ready for this."_ He thought before he brought his hand down. "Commence!"

In less than a second, a stream of sand shot out of Gaara's gourd straight towards Sasuke. Moving quickly, the Uchiha jumped back out of the way, the sand seemed to bounce back from the ground and chase the black haired genin.

Sasuke kept moving back and dodging until he reached the sand. The Sharingan users jumped to his right as the stream of sand crushed the place he had been standing. As soon as Sasuke's feet touch the ground, the Uchiha ran towards the redhead, he hadn't gotten half way through when a wall of sand had already formed in front of him.

Gathering chakra in his feet, the black haired boy jumped out of the sand's reach. The leap was strong enough to land at the same distance he had been from Gaara, but on the other side.

The redhead was starting to get irritated; his hands went through a series of signs as he glared at Sasuke. "Sabaku Ame" The sand-nin said. Immediately, the sand around him shot into the air, just to drop towards the Uchiha at an incredible speed. The raven haired boys started to move at an incredibly speed to dodge the descending shots of sand. _"Those moves"_ Gaara thought. _"They remind of that other one…" _

"Kakashi, you…" Gai begun as he looked at his comrade.

The copy-nin merely sighed. "The only way that he could beat Gaara's defense, was to use to move of the one that already had." The gray haired man stated.

Gai's eyes narrowed. "And he achieved it in three months?" The jounin asked.

"He was only able to imitate his movie." Kakashi begun to explain. "But there was no way that he would be able to duplicate Lee's speed."

The answer surprised Gai. "But I could have sworn that he just…" The eccentric jounin stopped as he noticed that his rival had lower his head slightly, realization hit the black haired man. "Is his body able to endure it?" He asked.

Down at the arena, Sasuke had been dodging all of the sand shots that were coming violently from above. _"Now!"_ As he saw an opening, taking out a kunai tied with an exploding tag, the Uchiha threw it towards Gaara.

Immediately, the sand stopped the kunai, but it couldn't prevent the explosion created by it.

Gaara had been protected by the sand, but the blast had raised a cloud of smoke, preventing the redhead from seeing anything. Unexpectedly, the sand shot forward, startling the sand-nin. _"Did he decide to attack?_" He wondered.

Suddenly, the redhead heard a sound, his head turn slightly and his eyes widened, he could see the leaf-nin finishing a set of symbols. "Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Sasuke exclaimed as a blast of fire came from his mouth towards the sand-nin.

Fortunately for Gaara, the sand had blocked the fire jutsu before it had a chance to connect. The redhead willed the sand to attack the raven haired boy, driving the Konoha genin back into the wall, the sand returned to the sand nin.

"_Good, I have him on the defensive."_ The Uchiha thought. Sasuke was about to move forward when he felt a jolt of intense pain on his leg. "Not yet…" He whispered to himself as his eyes drifted to look at his teammate in the participant's balcony.

* * *

– Flashback –

Sasuke was panting as he struggle to stay up. No matter how hard he tried, he wasn't able to achieve the same speed that, according to Kakashi, Lee had used to get pass Gaara defense. "It seems you can't reach Lee's speed." The grey haired shinobi said.

The raven haired Uchiha glared at his sensei for stating the obvious.

"Well, it seems that we would have to use something else." Kakashi said. The look of irritating in Sasuke's face make seem as thought he were about to attack his teacher. "Naruto" The jounin said without even acknowledging the glare from his student.

Immediately, Sasuke's face had a look of confusion, the single mentioning of his teammates name caused the prodigy to start wondering what had happened to the blond. Ever since the start of the Chuunin Exam, Sasuke's mind had not stop trying to figure out what was going on with Naruto.

Without looking at the younger shinobi, Kakashi continued. "Remember back during the bell test and the first time we face Zabuza?" The grey haired man asked. Kakashi waited for Sasuke to nod before carrying on. "For a single moment, during both occasions, Naruto show a moment of incredible brightness, in which he was actually able to take Zabuza and me by surprise." The copy nin said.

A frown formed on Sasuke's face. "And what does that have to do with everything?" The raven haired boy asked.

"I'm getting to that." Kakashi said, it seemed to the Uchiha that his sensei was enjoying the fact that he was building suspense. "In both of those occasions, nobody expected that from Naruto, we all made assumptions according of what we have observed from him, and were unaware of the potential he had." The grey haired shinobi explained. "And that's how you can get pass Gaara's sand defense."

The Uchiha recounted his sensei's speech in his mind, but as much as he tried, he was unable to see the connection between Naruto and him bypassing the Gaara's defenses.

At the look of confusion in his student's face, Kakashi decided to explain even further. "Gaara's sand reacts according to motion. Lee was so fast that the sand was unable to keep up, but sense you can't maintain that type of speed, you have to lure the sand and, at the last second, boost your speed for a single moment in order to get pass it. Just like in Naruto's cases, Gaara would not expect it." Kakashi stopped for a second to make sure that the younger nin understood. "But I do have to warn you, using this type of strategy would cause a heavy burden on your body." He warned.

Sasuke remind silent as he analyzed everything that his teacher had said. _"Just like Naruto…?"_

– End Flashback –

* * *

The raven haired boy dashed towards the sand nin. The sand move forward in response but missed the Sharingan user by less than half an inch. _"How was he able to dodge it?"_ Gaara thought as Sasuke merely side stepped the streams of sand.

Without halting his run once, Sasuke reached the redhead, driving his fist to the side of the sand nin's face.

The other genin's punch was strong enough to lift Gaara from the ground and flying back. Due to the attacks' force, Gaara's body turned in the air, the redhead could see the sand already coming to catch him, but before that could happen, Sasuke appeared in front of him, hitting him across the face with his forearm and sending the sand nin crashing facedown into the ground.

Gaara hit the ground so hard that the impact caused him to bounce back up into the air. Immediately, the redhead felt an extreme jolt of pain from his side as Sasuke kicked him on his side, sending the redhead flying away once more.

"_Now!"_ Sasuke shouted in his mind as he released on of the binding in his left hand.

* * *

– Flashback –

"_Sasuke-kun" At the sound of his female teammate's voice, The Uchiha turned around. Sakura walked timidly towards the raven haired boy, her gaze fixed on the floor._

_They were in the hospital, after his collapse during the matches, Sasuke was finally going to be released and be able to start his training with Kakashi. "What is it Sakura?" The boy asked, a little colder that he might have intended._

_The girl did not look up from the floor. "It's about Naruto…" She said with a low voice. The mentioning of his other teammate immediately caught Sasuke's attention. "During the finals," Sakura started again. "If you-I mean when you get to the second round…I-If you have go against Naruto. Please, don't fight him!" She exclaimed._

_Sasuke was taken back by what the pink haired girl and said, she had left him speechless._

"_Please…" Sakura said as she tried to keep her voice even. "I-I don't want it t-to happen again…Not like last t-time!" Even thought her eyes were directed to the floor Sasuke could see that she was at the verge of tears. "I d-don't want you two to k-kill each other…I don't want to see you f-fight like that day…"_

_Something jolted in Sasuke's memory, something that he had dismissed as a nightmare back in the Forest of Death. He remembered he felt like he was drowning in a dark ocean, at first he enjoyed the blissfully feeling it bestow upon him, but then he realized that the darkness was overwhelming him. He desperately tried to reach for the surface, as he got close he noticed someone standing on the dark ocean, when he got even closer he recognized to be Naruto. The black haired boy tried to reach his teammate, but when he tried to raise his hand above water, and extremely powerful and cold gust of wind started to push the Uchiha back through the water, for some reason it seemed to the drowning boy that the wind was originating from the blond. The raven haired genin was starting to become desperate, he called for his teammate, but Naruto merely looked down at him for a couple of second before he turned around and started to walk away, leaving Sasuke to drown in the ocean of darkness._

_The boy broke out of his trance, his eyes narrowed as he regarded his pink haired teammate. "What do you mean by 'last time' Sakura? What happened in the forest?" Sasuke asked as he took a step forward._

_Sakura merely shook her head. "N-Nothing" She said with a breaking voice. "I'm sorry, it's nothing!" The kunoichi said as she turned around as started off._

"_Sakura!" Sasuke shouted as he started after her. "Sakura wait!" He exclaimed as went through the hospital's exit, but she was already gone._

Sasuke eyes snapped open. He was lying flat on the ground, his whole body ached. "You passed out because of the pain." Kakashi's voice reached him. "I warned you of the burden."

Struggling to stand up, the raven haired boy couldn't force back the memory of his conversation with Sakura a week prior, even the intense pain his body, specially his legs, felt couldn't detour his mind. "Tell me the true…" The Uchiha started in a low voice as he looked at his teacher. "At our current states, who's stronger? Naruto or me?" Sasuke asked, his eyes fixed on the older Sharingan user.

Kakashi regarded his student for a moment. "The true is…" He begun, his words were just above a whisper. "Right now…"

– End Flashback –

* * *

Sasuke hands flashed through hand signs at jounin speed as he gathered his chakra. The crowd gasped as the raven haired genin's chakra became visible in the form of lighting. "You thought him that…?" Gai said to his comrade, he disbelieved what he was seen.

"Chidori!" Sasuke shouted as he launched himself forward.

_Chick, chick, chick, chick, chick_

The sound of birds engulfed the stadium. Gaara willed his sand to stop the leaf nin, but just like before, the raven haired boy was able to sidestepped in the last second possible. As a last act of desperation, the redhead raised four walls of sand in front of him.

Brining his left arm forward, the Uchiha rammed through the first two walls. _"It's not you…"_ Kakashi's responds drifted back into his mind as he broke through the third wall.

"_I will win this match. Naruto, just wait, I will be your opponent for the second round!"_ Sasuke declared as he closed his left hand into a fist and punched the last wall.

At the sign of his last defense been taken out, Gaara jumped back trying to get away from the leaf nin's chakra-charged fist. Gaara was able to get away when the raven haired boy's fist was less than an inch from his chest.

Sasuke was panting; he mentally cursed himself for not driving his punch a little longer and put an end to the match once and for all. Looking up as his opponent landed away from him, the Uchiha was taken back by the insane smile in the sand nin's face.

The gourd on Gaara's back fell; the raven haired genin's attack had cut what attached it to the redhead's back. As soon as the gourd fell to the ground, it dissolved into sand. "Sabaku Rou!" The sand nin shouted as he brought his hand together into a sign.

Immediately, the sand surrounding him encased his body into a sphere. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he regarded the orb of sand in front of him.

"HAHAHA!" Gaara's laugh was heard throughout the stadium, its mere sound send chill through the spine of many spectators. "Sabaku Kyokan!" The redhead shouted from inside the sphere. Sand started to gather in front of the orb, creating the massive figure of a 12-feet tall golem. "Daisan no Me" Was heard next, as an eye formed out of sand in encrusted itself on what would be the golem's face.

With a slow movement, the giant raised one of his arms as the limb increased in size. When the arm was almost completely extended in the air, the golem brought it down with a powerful crash, Sasuke had to jump to the side to prevent been crush by the gigantic arm.

As soon as the Uchiha's feet touch the ground again, the raven haired boy had to jump into the air as the other arm went right through where he had been less than a second ago, hitting the wall at the edge of the arena and leaving a crack behind. Sasuke started hand went through a series of familiar hand signs. "Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" A fireball shot out of the leaf nin mouth again.

The flames blocked the sand golem from Sasuke's view. The Uchiha was sorry for his plan of action as an enormous sand hand appeared through the fireball and grabbed the raven haired boy in mid air.

Watching what was going on through the single eye on the golem, Gaara willed the giant to slam the other genin full force into the ground. The crowd gasped in horror as the prodigy met the ground with a terrible sound.

The Uchiha laid inert on the ground as the golem raised its arm once again, its fist increasing in size as it hover above the leaf shinobi. In the participant's balcony, Naruto tightened his fist to the point that blood started to run down again.

Down in the arena, Sasuke was aware of the danger he was in, but the force in which he hit the floor had left his body unresponsive for the time being. The boy could see the monstrous sand fist coming down as his sensei's words drifted back into his mind, the answer of the question he had asked during the training, the reason why he needed to win. _"It's not you…"_

With another thunderous sound, the golem brought his fist down, many gasps and screams were heard from the audience.

A cloud of dust and sand had filled the arena, preventing the spectators from seen what had happened to the Konoha prodigy. Suddenly, a black silhouette was seen falling down from the air, when it touch the ground it dissipated some of the dusk, revealing the raven haired boy standing on the arena.

"I refuse to lose…" Sasuke whispered as he released another one of the bindings in his left hand. _"Watch this, Naruto…"_ The boy thought, his hands going through a new set of signs as the golem started to move towards him.

Gai's eyes widened once again. "Those are not the hand signs for Chidori." He said in disbelief as he looked at Kakashi once again.

The gray haired man's face was unreadable. "Sasuke…are you sure you can pull this off…?" The jounin said softly.

A huge amount of chakra started to gather in raven haired boy's hand._ "Right now, you might have surpassed me, but know this…"_ The lighting appeared once again but not only in his palm, this time it kept increasing to the point where it was no longer in his hand but it completely covered the Uchiha's body. _"I'm not far from you!"_ Sasuke's chakra burst and shot into the sky.

* * *

Sabaku Ame – Desert Rain

Chidori – Thousand Birds

Sabaku Kyokan – Desert Giant

Daisan no Me – Third Eye


	12. Crumbling Leaf

_**Crumbling Leaf**_

A huge amount of chakra started to gather in the raven haired boy's hand._ "Right now, you might have surpassed me, but know this…"_ The lightning appeared once again but not only in his palm, this time it kept increasing to the point where it was no longer in his hand but it completely covered the Uchiha's body. _"I'm not far from you!"_ Sasuke's chakra burst and shot into the sky.

The crowd in the stadium gasped at the tower of lightning that had formed out of the raven haired boy's body.

Sasuke brought his arm forward, willing the chakra pillar to twist, forming a spiral. The end of the column started to change; the spectators could discern what seemed to be eyes and fangs as the chakra took the form a dragon's head. "Raikiri Ryuu!" The Uchiha shouted as the head at the end of the spiral let out an intimidating roar.

* * *

"_Incredible…"_ Gai thought as he watched in amazement his rival's student. _"To be able to manipulate chakra like that at such a young age…"_ The jounin looked to his right, and to his surprise, his grey haired comrade had an extremely concerned look on his face. _"Is it that much of a burden…?"_ The man thought as he went back to watch the arena.

* * *

By now the dragon had taken form completely, it was several feet long, the head was almost the size of a small horse, its long body came down in a spiral that ended in the Uchiha's left hand. The serpentine body had remained moving since it's creation as the head seemed to be tilting towards the sand golem in from on it.

The raven haired genin tightened his hold on the chakra flow, causing the dragon to roar again. "…This…" Sasuke voice came strained as he tried to ignore the building pain in his body, specially his left shoulder. "…is…my power!" The boy exclaimed as he rapidly lifted his left arm and brought it back down again, immediately the chakra dragon shot forward and rammed its head against the sand giant, pushing the golem back.

Naruto gritted his teeth; he didn't need his Sharingan to see how Sasuke's body was shaking from all the strain caused by the jutsu. "How far are you planning on going?" The blond whispered softly. Unknowingly to him, his hand right hand was cracking the ledge of the balcony out of unconscious concern.

The Uchiha refused to lessen the force with which he was pushing the chakra dragon against the golem, though now the sand monstrosity was starting to push back as Gaara's insane laughter was heard once again. "Hahaha…This is power? To us, this is nothing!" The redhead shouted from inside the sand.

The giant grabbed the dragon by its neck and pushed it away from its sand body.

* * *

"No…" Kakashi whispered as his worry increased.

"What's happening?" Gai asked looking at his friend again.

The grey haired man sighed as he close his eyes. "Think about Sasuke's dragon" The lazy jounin started. "What characteristic of it had you caught onto?" Kakashi asked as opened his eyes and looked at his comrade.

Gai pondered in thought for a couple of seconds as he went over everything he had seen about the chakra dragon in his head. Suddenly, the eccentric jounin's eyes widened. "It has never stopped moving." The man declared.

Kakashi nodded. "Though Sasuke is able to manipulate the lightning chakra into taking the form of a dragon, he's unable to maintain it stable. He needs to sustain a constant movement in order to keep the chakra flowing and for the dragon to stay alive." He explained. "If Gaara is able to hold down the dragon and keep it from moving, even for a second, then this match would be over." The gray haired man informed.

* * *

The sand giant raised the dragon higher as it prepared to slam the lighting incarnation into the ground. Moving his left arm back, Sasuke managed to release the dragon from the golem's grip.

Taking a step forwards, the sand golem brought its arms up and a barraged of sand bullets shot at the Uchiha.

Sasuke swung his arm over his body, causing the dragon's body to wrap around his body, blocking him from and attack. Though the dragon's body stopped to protect the raven haired boy, the head never stopped and it immediately shot towards the giant as soon as the barrage seized.

The force of the collisions was strong enough to push the golem back, but the sand monster soon regained its ground and got a grip on the dragon's body.

The Uchiha swung his left arm to the right, freeing the lighting dragon from the giant's hold, before swinging his arm back. The dragon moved to hit the side of the sand giant, only to be caught by the golem's grip once again. _"Damn it!"_ Sasuke thought, his vision was starting to become hazy. _"I won't be able to keep this jutsu much longer…I have to make the next attack count…!"_ With determination, the raven haired boy brought his arm back, releasing the lighting creature from its hold. "This is my power!" Sasuke exclaimed as he brought his arm forward with full force.

With a tremendous roar, the dragon shot towards its opponent once again, this time traveling closer to the ground than the previous times.

Before the sand golem could react, the dragon shot upward with his fangs bearing, graving a whole of the giant and taking it along as it rose into the air.

Immediately, Sasuke jump, getting higher than the two chakra beings. Using the dragon's body as leverage, the raven haired boy shot himself towards the sand monster, gathering all the chakra released on the dragon's body into his left hand.

With the extra charged Chidori burning in his hand, Sasuke rammed his hand into the sand golem's body, breaking through it and causing the sand to start to disperse. The whole stadium cheered as the giant's body started to break down.

Sasuke closed his fist to retain the Chidori in his hand and used the falling blocks of sand to propel himself towards the redhead's dome, driving his Chidori-covered hand into the sand sphere. The crowd immediately turned silent as all waited to see what would happen next.

"AAAHHH!" A horrible scream was heard through the arena. Suddenly, Sasuke felt as though something grabbed his arm, pain starting going through the Uchiha's body. "Blood… my blood!" Gaara's cry sent a chilling feeling down Sasuke's spine as he tried to free himself from the hold on his arm.

Finally been able to step away from the sand, the Uchiha jumped back, but, to the boy's horror, a grotesque arm made out of sand was attached to his.

The monstrous limb let go of the raven haired genin and retreated into the dome. Just like the golem, the sand in the sphere started to fall back into the ground, revealing the redhead.

Gaara's hand was clenching his left shoulder as blood travel down his body. The sand-nin's eyes were fixed fiercely on the Uchiha.

* * *

Naruto's eyes, which a moment before had been watching the arena intensively, suddenly widened as he look around at the stadium, the blond could see white feather falling throughout the arena as the villagers started to drop down unconscious. Immediately, the genin brought his hands up to dispel the genjutsu.

Shinobi all over the stadium jumped in the air, Kakashi and Gai watched as a group of what seemed to be ANBU leaped to intersect some of the Sand-nins. "You're going to make this into a contest, aren't you?" The silver haired man asked as he looked at his comrade.

Gai smiled as he caught an incoming Sand-nin and drove his head into the ground with amazing force. "I already started my count." He declared while giving a thumbs up.

* * *

Kankuro, Temari, and Baki landed beside Gaara. "What's wrong?" The puppeteer asked as he wondered if it was safe to approach his brother.

"Fool!" Baki exclaimed. "What were you thinking trying to transform before the plan started?"

Temari knelt in front of the redhead. "He's experiencing the side effect; he's too unstable to go on now." She declared, looking up at her sensei for guidance.

"What are we suppose to do now?" Kankuro asked, desperation starting to become evident in his voice. "Are we suppose to proceed without Gaara?"

Baki stood silent for a couple of moments as he tried to analyze the situation as fast as he could. "Retreat…" He whispered to his students. The order was received with bewildered looks from Temari and Kankuro. "You guys go and take Gaara with you." The jounin said before he was interrupted by the genin's objection. "I'll join the fight here, now go!" He ordered.

The siblings merely nodded. Kankuro placed Gaara's arm over his shoulder before the three of them jumped over the stadium wall.

"Grrr…." Sasuke growled as he tried to chase after the Sand genins but his body prevented him from moving. _"Damn! I don't have anymore chakra, my body is going numb."_ The Uchiha thought as he fell on his knee.

Suddenly, the raven haired boy sensed something flying at him, and, out of reflex, Sasuke caught the object with his hand. Looking down at it, the genin saw it was a soldier pill. "If you plan on chasing after those guys, you'll need it." Genma said casually as he walk pass the Uchiha and stood in front of Baki. "You're a leaf shinobi after all, make yourself useful."

Sasuke sent a small glare at the tokubetsu jounin before eating the soldier pill. The boy immediately felt the effects of the pill; his body became lighter as he shot in pursuit of the Sand genins.

* * *

Up in the stands, Sakura watched the raven haired boy jumping the stadium's wall as he chased the three siblings. Acting on instinct, the pink haired girl stood up, Sakura froze before she was able to follow her teammate. Two San nins had appeared in front of her, their hands were already clutching kunais as they travel in her direction.

Sakura could only stare as the blades approached her. Suddenly, what seemed to be a pair of black blurs appeared in front of the girl, knocking down the two Sand nins. "How distracted were they that they didn't even sense two genins sneaking up on them." Shikamaru commented as he nudged the fallen shinobi's body with his foot.

"Are you alright?" A monotonous voice asked the pink haired girl. At first, Sakura thought that Naruto had come to save her, since the voice had as much emotion as the blond had shown the last few days, for reasons unknown to the girl a blush appeared on her face. "Sakura?" The sound of the voice snapped the girl out of her trance.

Looking carefully, the kunoichi saw Shino standing next to Shikamaru instead of Naruto. "Y-yeah, I'm alright…" She said as her blush intensified, this time she knew it was out of embarrassment at her confusion.

Shikamaru and Shino looked at their former classmate in confusion, but before they could express any of it, the three Leaf genin found themselves surrounded by a group of Suna shinobi.

All three of them brought their kunais out to defend themselves out of instinct, but they soon found it unnecessary as all of the Sand nin suddenly dropped dead before them. "I got more than you did Kakashi!" Gai announced happily as he step on one of the bodies.

The jounin had appeared from either side of the group of genin, taking care of the Suna attackers. "Do we really have to keep count?" Kakashi asked as he sighed.

"Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke-kun has…" Sakura stepped forward as she begun to talk, Kakashi merely gave her a sign to let him speak first.

"I know about Sasuke, he's chasing those three Sand genin." He said calmly. "That's why I came for you three." The man added.

Shikamaru let a small scoff. "And here I was thinking he wanted to save us." The Nara commented as he folded his arms.

Kakashi gave the black haired genin a small glare. "You are spending too much time with Asuma." The jounin say.

"No, he was already this cynical back at the academy." Shino said in a composed voice, earning a small glare from Shikamaru.

"Anyways" The lazy shinobi interrupted. "I'm here to assign- wait a minute, where's Naruto?" Kakashi asked as he looked around for his other student, due to the blonde's new personality, the silver haired man wouldn't had been surprise to see him already fighting the Suna shinobi.

Shikamaru shook his head. "I don't know; he suddenly disappeared after the genjutsu started." The lazy genin said.

* * *

A group of Sound nin was running through the streets of Konoha. "Who would have thought that their defenses would have been so easily broken?" One of the nin commented.

"Yeah, it seems that everyone was only focused on the stupid exam." Another one said.

"Come on guys, let's go finish this mission." The one Oto shinobi in the front said as he jumped into the air. Suddenly, the nin felt a boot on his face that sent him flying back into the ground.

The rest of the Sound nin immediately looked up to see who was attacking them. "So, Otogakure is taking part in this attack as well." Naruto asked as he stood in front of the invading shinobi.

One of the Oto nin growled in anger before he launched himself towards the blond. "Why you little…!" It was all he managed to say before he suddenly went quite and, with a tarrying look on his face, dropped to the ground.

The rest stare in shock at the newly arrived Konoha shinobi. "Wait" One of them said as he stepped forward. "This guy is just a kid!" He declared.

"Yeah, he's probably a mere genin that just got lucky and sucker punched us." Another one declared. "Let's get him!" The Oto shinobi shouted, his comrades roared in agreement as they prepare to attack.

Their eyes widened in terror when they realized that their bodies couldn't move. Suddenly, the surroundings turned black while the sky was tainted with crimson. Before they could completely register their surroundings, their bodies were bound by chains. "You guys can't be jounins." The blonde's voice snapped the Sound nins' attention back to him, their eyes widened even further as they saw the strange colored Sharingan in his eyes. "Otherwise you would have realized that…" Numerous blades appeared hovering in mid air in front of them. "You've been in my world all along…" The boy's words sounded like a death sentence for the Oto shinobi. Their screams fell on deaf ears.

* * *

Kakashi could hear the fighting that had broken out all throughout the village. _"I have an idea where he might be."_ The jounin though as he glanced at the clouds of smoke that were forming all around the village. "Well, you four would have to then." He said as he turned towards the three genins.

"Wait a second Kakashi-sensei, did you say four?" Sakura asked, looking up at her sensei confused.

Without answering, Kakashi started on a set of hand seals which end up creating a cloud of smoke. "Let me introduce you to the fourth member, and tracker, of your team, Pakkun" The smoke dissipated revealing a small brown dog.

"That it?" Shikamaru commented with disappointment as he looked at the canine. "This little dog looks like it could be hurt just by looking at a kunai."

With surprising swiftness, Pakkun jumped on the Nara's head. "Who are calling little? Pony-tail boy." The dog said with unexpected seriousness.

CoughCough Kakashi's fake cough directed the genin's, and the dog's, attention back to him. "You can discuss your dysfunctional unit later on, I'm about to assign you an A-Rank mission." At the mentioning of 'A-Rank', the group placed their undivided attention on the jounin. "Sasuke is in pursuit of those Sand genins, I want you to intercept and stop him." The man announced.

"Why?" Shikamaru asked.

Kakashi sighed slightly; he had hoped that they wouldn't question him. "There's something odd with the redhead, I think that it might be dangerous if he and Sasuke were to resume their fight, that's why you have to stop him before he catches up to them." The silver haired man said. Even without completely understanding the situation, the genins, and the dog, nodded. "Now, go!" Kakashi ordered right before the group set off.

As soon as the genin disappeared, Kurenai landed beside the silver haired man. "Are you sure about this?" She asked with a concern look. Kakashi merely nodded as he sensed their chakra getting father away from the stadium. The black haired woman sighed. "Well, there's something I need to do, so I'm going to ask you cover my back." She said and, before Kakashi had a chance to answer, she was gone.

"Hey Kakashi! I already have 10 on my count!" Gai announced as he slammed his opponent into the ground. "11!" Kakashi sighed again as he jumped into the air.

* * *

Kurenai moved to a different part of the stands. "Kai" She said before placing a hand on one of her students.

Kiba shook slightly as he awoke. "It's too early for school, Hana-nee…" The boy murmured as he robbed his eyes.

The kunoichi shook her head in mild disbelief. "Kiba." She said with a little force.

Immediately, the brown haired boy immediately straightened. "Kurenai-sensei, wha-what's going o-?" The boy didn't need to finish his question, as the answer was right in front of his eyes, leaving him speechless.

Standing up, Kurenai picked up the body of her third student. "Kiba, I don't need to explain the situation to you, do I?" She waited for the Inuzuka to nod. "I want you to take Hinata to the Hyuuga estate; she's not safe here with her current condition." The woman explained.

Kiba stood up. "But I-" The blond begun but was soon silenced when his sensei brought one of her hands forward to silence him.

Once the boy calmed down, Kurenai continued. "Kiba, this is a very important mission, are you telling me you can't handle it? Do I have to ask Shino?" The woman said, knowing which buttons to push with the brown haired genin. "Or maybe Naruto?" She paused before the last push. "Or perhaps Shikamaru would do a better job than you?"

The kunoichi's technique had immediate effect. "There's no way in hell that lazy Nara can do this mission better then me!" Kiba exclaimed. "I am the most suited shinobi in this whole village for this mission!" He declared as he continued to shout.

Kurenai smiled as she walked behind the shouting boy and placed Hinata on his back. "Very well, have safe trip." She said before returning to battle.

Kiba make sure that his teammate was secure on his back and Akamaru on his chest before setting off towards the Hyuuga estate.

* * *

The group kept on jumping through the trees. "How are we doing Pakkun?" Sakura asked.

The dog shook his head. "We're still about the same distance, they are all moving pretty fast." The small canine stated. "But on an even grimmer note, we're being followed…" Pakkun announced calmly.

"What? Who's following us?" Shikamaru asked. _"Damn, I knew that I should have pretended to been asleep."_ The Nara thought.

Pakkun scoffed. "Yeah let's ask the dog what's happening a mile away, the fact that he can't see color is compensated by the fact that he has a super powered Byakugan." The dog mocked the black haired boy.

Before Shikamaru could make a comeback, Sakura intervened. "Guys, stop arguing." She said. "We have to think about what we're going to do with the pursuers?" She asked, looking at her companions.

"Someone should stay behind and hold them off." Shino say as he stopped running. Immediately, the others stopped as well and look back at the Aburame. "I'll stay…" The black haired genin stated with a serious tone.

Shikamaru merely shook his head as he jumped to the branch Shino was standing on. "No, I'll stay." The Nara said. "After all, my abilities are made for stalling." He said.

"What are you planning?" Shino asked silently without looking at his comrade.

The Nara merely smirked. "Like I said, I'll stall." The boy stated before he set off.

* * *

Naruto clenched his head as he struggle to stay up. **"Baka, what were you thinking?"** The fox raged inside the blonde's head. **"Using that genjutsu in all of them at the same time, you know what its backlash causes."** Kyuubi ranted.

The blond shook his head as he felt the immense strain on his eyes start to subside, and at the same time trying to ignore the angry bijyuu screaming inside his head. Suddenly, the genin's eyes widened and turned to look in direction of the forest. He had sensed when Sasuke started to chase after the Suna genins, and when Sakura and the others started off after the Uchiha, but now he could sense a new group of chakra signals after them, and the Sharingan-user could bet all his ramen that they weren't from Konoha.

Shaking the headache off, Naruto started towards the forest.

* * *

Kiba ran through the deserted streets of Konoha with Hinata on his back. _"I'm almost at the Hyuuga estate, just a little longer…"_ The boy thought as he picked up the pace.

Suddenly, a kunai landed in front of the Inuzuka, stopping the black haired genin on his tracks. "Well, well, what do we have here?" A voice directed Kiba's attention to the road ahead where three Oto shinobi appeared. The boy immediately check to make sure Hinata was secure on his bank, in case the situation turned into a chase. "Oh, and it seems he's carrying a girl too." The one in the middle commented.

When the group of Sound nin stepped forward, Kiba took off, the only thoughts in the Inuzuka's mind were about keeping Hinata safe. "I love a chase." One of the Oto shinobis stated.

Kiba kept on running, the brown haired boy was about to turn the corner when a kick came flying towards the side of his face, sending him flying back, he could barely manage to make sure that Hinata wasn't injured by the fall. "You're too slow, kid" The third Sound nin stated.

The Inuzuka stood up as he glared at the three shinobi in front of him. Taking a moment to briefly wish he had his soldier pills with him, the boy check his hold on Hinata and got into battle stand.

* * *

The group of Oto shinobi dashed through the woods, it was easy for them to follow the foot and paw prints left by their prey. "Down there" The leader stated as he pointed at a clearing up ahead. The whole group landed and started to look around.

"There's no one here" One of them stated when they couldn't find their prey.

"But their tracks lead this way." Another one responded, still looking around.

The leader shook his head. "Well, let's see if we can pick up their trail again." He ordered as he prepared to jump to a branch, just to find his body unable to move. "What? What's going on here?" The Sound nin stated as he look around and saw his comrades in the same situation.

The sound of footsteps caused them to look at the edge of the clearing. "Never thought it would be so easy to trap you like this." Shikamaru said as he step into the clearing, his shadow was connect to the Sound nins'. The boy threw a series of kunais and shurikens he had in his hand.

Surprising the genin, the Oto shinobi started laughing as all the blades were deflected by kunais before they reach them. "You're way in over your head Nara." The leader said. "Did you really expect us to just come down without security measures?" The group continued to laugh.

Shikamaru bit his lower lip as he look in direction from where the kunais had come. _"Damn…, I didn't account for this."_ He thought as he looked at his shadow. _"The jutsu won't hold on much longer…"_

By now, the Sound nins' laugh had been reduced to a chuckle. "Well, what would it be kid?" The leader begun again. "Should we have our guy kill you now? Or wait until your jutsu ends? After all, it's been a while since we play hit the target as a group." The joke caused the Sound nins to start laughing again, while Shikamaru could only glare at them. "Face it kid, the mighty Leaf has crumbled down."

* * *

Kiba hit the ground one again; face first as he moved his body to prevent any harm to come to the girl on his back. "How touching." One of the Oto shinobi said as he cracked his knuckles. "Haven't you realized yet, kid? Once you're dead she'll be next!" He mocked, causing the other two to start laughing.

The Inuzuka struggled to stand up. _"Damn, if any of the guys see me like this…"_ The boy took off towards the Oto shinobi with his clawed hand ready to attack.

The moment the Sound nins brought their hands up for defense, Kiba jumped into the air, landing on the other side of the Oto ground, and resumed his running. "Cute, kid" One of the Sound nin commented as he turned around and threw a kunai at the boy.

The blade hit Kiba in his left leg, causing him to stumble in the ground. "Why don't we finish this? It's already getting boring." Another one commented. The other two nodded and took out a kunai each.

Kiba watch helplessly as the three of them dashed towards him, all he could do was move his body slightly to protect his teammate. _"I failed you Kurenai-sensei…"_ The brown haired boy apologized in his mind as he closed his eyes. _"I'm sorry, Hinata…"_ He could hear the sound of blade closing in on him.

* * *

"_I could just give up now…"_ Shikamaru pondered. _"It would save a couple of minutes of agonizing wait."_ He reasoned. Suddenly, Naruto's image flashed on the Nara's mind. "Heh, I guess you won't let me give up twice in a day." The boy said softly with a dry laugh.

"What are you muttering, kid?" The leader of the Sound group asked.

One of the others laughed. "I think he finally lost it!" He declared; the other Oto nins joined him laughing.

A sound above the laughter caught Shikamaru's attention. "I guess you wanted me to hold long enough for this…" The boy said softly with a smirk on his face. Even in the distance, he could hear the sound of a hawk flying over the village. The Leaf genin started to laugh.

The Sound nins immediately, stopped laughing. "What's so funny?" One of them asked.

Shikamaru shook his head. "It's over." The boy said calmly. "It's over for all of us." He announced serenely, looking at the Oto shinobi mockingly.

The Sound leader growled in anger at the look in the genin's eyes. "Stop talking nonsense!" He roared before looking towards his comrade in the tree. "Hey, just take him out now!" The Oto nin ordered. Shikamaru's eyes immediately shifted toward where the attack would surely come.

* * *

The Inuzuka waited for the piercing pain to come, but instead, all he felt was a strong wind blowing pass him and heard the sound of one of the Oto shinobi grunting in pain. The boy opened his eyes slightly, but the sight in front of him caused them to open up completely.

One of the Sound nins was on the floor spitting blood while the other two were in fighting stance, but what surprised the brown haired boy the most was the sight of Neji standing in front of him, also in a fighting stance as he faced the Oto shinobi. "I'm sorry I'm late." The Hyuuga said softly without looking at the Inuzuka. "I'll take care of these guys." The prodigy declared as he finally turned his head to look at the brown haired boy in the eyes. "And Kiba, thanks for keeping Hinata-sama safe…"

* * *

The clearing remained in silence as the Nara waited for the attack to come. "Hey! What's going on?" The Sound leader exclaimed, looking in direction of his comrades.

"Oh, you're talking to this guy?" A voice was heard throughout the clearing. The next moment, the body of a Sound nin fell to the ground with a kunai impaled into his neck. "Sorry, but the two of us got into a disagreement." Naruto said as he landed next to the body.

"Who are you?" One of the Oto shinobi asked, fear was starting to appear in his eyes.

The blond ignore the question as he walked towards the Nara. "Pretty decent performance, for a second there I was worried that you would throw the towel before I got here." The boy commented.

Shikamaru smirked. "I knew you wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I've done it, it would have been too troublesome having you criticize me everyday at my grave." The black haired boy simply said.

A smirk appeared in blonde's face as well. "That's true." He said as he turned to look at the group of Oto shinobi. "But you can let go of the jutsu now." The Sora Sharingan appeared on Naruto's eyes. "I have then on my sight…"

* * *

Raikiri Ryuu – Lighting Edge Dragon (Made up)

* * *

**A/N – Well, I know I took a couple of months, but I kept it under three months. Don't really know how long it will take me to write the next chapter, there are a few things that I want to check over first. I have a lot of things planned for the next chapter, some of them will be really interesting, so expect the chapter to be long. Thanks for reading. **


	13. Hear My Existence

_**Hear My Existence**_

The clearing remained silent as the Nara waited for the attack to come. "Hey! What's going on?" The Sound leader exclaimed, looking in the direction of his comrades.

"Oh, you're talking to this guy?" A voice was heard throughout the clearing. The next moment, the body of a Sound nin fell to the ground with a kunai impaled into his neck. "Sorry, but the two of us got into a disagreement." Naruto said as he landed next to the body.

"Who are you?" One of the Oto shinobi asked, fear was starting to appear in his eyes.

The blond ignored the question as he walked towards the Nara. "Pretty decent performance, for a second there I was worried that you would throw the towel before I got here." The boy commented.

Shikamaru smirked. "I knew you wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I've done it, it would have been too troublesome having you criticize me everyday at my grave." The black haired boy simply said.

A smirk appeared in blonde's face as well. "That's true." He said as he turned to look at the group of Oto shinobi. "But you can let go of the jutsu now." The Sora Sharingan appeared on Naruto's eyes. "I have them in my sight…" The boy announced.

The Oto nins felt fear overcome them as they saw their reflection on the blonde's Sharingan eyes. One by one, the Sound shinobi dropped to the ground unconscious.

"What did you do to them?" Shikamaru asked astonished as he looked at the unmoving bodies all over the clearing.

Naruto rubbed his eyes due to the strain caused by his technique. "I sent them to hell…" The blond genin simply said. The genin walked towards the leader of the Oto group and searched his pouch. "Here" The boy threw a soldier pill towards Shikamaru.

The Nara caught the pill and ate it. "You said that you were worried that I might have given up." The black haired boy said. "For how long have you been here?" He asked, already preparing the glare.

The blond simply shrug. "For a couple of minutes." He stated as he took another soldier pill from the Sound nin's pouch and ate it. "Long enough to hear your 'It's Over' speech." A smirk appeared on his face. "Nice piece of work, if this whole shinobi deal doesn't work out, you could become a writer; I have some connections, I could get you a publisher." Naruto mocked his friends.

Shikamaru glared at Naruto, he had expected something like this already.

"Well, we should get going." The blond said as he started. "We're in the middle of a chase after all." He said as he jumped on a tree branch.

The black haired boy sighed before jumping on another branch and resuming his pursuit while muttering. "Troublesome"

Naruto turned around to follow the Nara, but looked back before starting on his run. The blonde's eyes regarded the Oto nins' bodies with utter contempt. "Amaterasu…" The boy said with a whisper right before black flames appeared on the clearing and consumed the Sound shinobi's bodies.

* * *

"We won't be ridiculed by a child!" One of the Oto nin exclaimed as he charged towards Neji with a kunai in his hand.

The young Hyuuga merely tilted his body forward, and with a fluid movement of his left arm, he deviated the attack away from him by simply pushing the Sound shinobi's forearm.

The Oto nin tried to regain his composure by doing a roundhouse kick, but his leg was easily caught by Neji, who delivered a swift juuken strike on the Oto nin's chest, sending him flying backwards.

Immediately, the third Sound shinobi appeared behind the black haired boy, a kunai traveling in direction of the Hyuuga's neck.

Right before the blade pierced the Konoha genin's skin, a chakra sphere formed around his body, repelling the Oto nin back. "Kiba, take Hinata-sama to the Hyuuga household." Neji said without turning around. "I'll hold them off…"

All Kiba could do was nod before making sure Hinata was secured on his back and turned around. Before the Inuzuka started off, the boy looked back to see the three Sound nin getting back on their feet and standing in front of the Hyuuga. _"Good luck, Neji…"_

"Damn it! He's still following us!" Kankuro complained as he jumped between branches with his younger brother's arm over his shoulder. The puppet user could clearly feel the Uchiha's chakra behind them.

Temari gave a concerned look to her black haired brother, if they didn't get out of this village soon enough, Gaara would…

Suddenly, Kankuro gasped in surprise as the redhead started to stir. A small and low laugh could be heard from the younger sibling. "He's coming too…" Gaara said softly, not completely conscious yet. "I can feel it, both the Uchiha and him, they're getting closer." Kankuro could feel his brother's demonic chakra leaking from the redhead's body.

"Him?" The puppet user asked as he looked confused at his sister.

The blond girl bit her lower lip. "He must be talking about the Uzumaki guy."

"Why him?" Kankuro asked.

She was pretty sure that she would soon draw blood from her lip. "Didn't you feel it?" Temari asked her brother. "That thing awoke during that guy's fight." She explained, her worry and fear was evident in her expression. "Something about that Uzumaki guy's chakra affected _it_"

Kankuro frowned. "What do you mean _'affected'_?" The boy asked.

"Like it called out to _it_" Temari tried to explain. "Don't ask me how or why, but during his fight, Gaara was smiling, and you know what smile I'm talking about." The Sand kunoichi looked at her brother again.

The puppet user looked down at the boy he was carrying. He knew that smile pretty well, an expression that was closely related with the crimson color of blood.

The kunoichi sighed. "The two of them are similar; the look that guy had when he pushed the Hyuuga back during the preliminary was one full of hatred, just like Gaara's, and the killer intent he gives off is suffocating, just like…"

"Just like Gaara's…" The brown haired boy finished his sister's sentence, he stole another nervous glance at his brother.

Suddenly, Temari stopped on his track. The girl looked down at her feet as one of her hands clenched the fan on her back.

"What are you doing?" Kankuro exclaimed as he stopped as well.

Temari looked at her brother straight in the eye, determination dawning on her expression. "I'll hold back that Uzumaki guy." She simply stated. Immediately, a bewildered look appeared on Kankuro's face as he prepared to argue his older sister's statement. "Listen" She started again, preventing the brown haired boy from speaking. "The Uchiha we simply have to outrun, but that guy is affecting _it_ directly, if he keeps getting closer that thing might just completely wake up." Terror appeared on Kankuro's face with the mere thought of that. "You can get Gaara out of here faster, meanwhile I'll prevent that guy from getting closer to him." The blond girl said as she turned around.

Kankuro brought his free hand forward. "But-…" He desperately wanted to say something, something that would change his sister's mind.

The kunoichi looked back at her brother. "Don't worry…" She assured him. "Just leave everything to Nee-san." Temari said giving her younger brother a broad smile before starting back the way they came.

The Sand genin could only stand there and watch his sister disappear among the trees, her smile engraved in his mind, he could not remember the last time they treated each other as siblings.

* * *

An Oto nin was thrown back with enough force to break the fence behind him. Neji stood panting in front of his opponent's unmoving body, the Hyuuga had little time to recover before he jumped into the air to dodge a barrage of kunai thrown at him. The two remaining Sound shinobi immediately appeared next to him, one on each side. "Fudou Kaiten" The boy as soon he saw their kunais traveling towards him.

The chakra barrier repelled the two attackers. _"Damn…"_ Neji complained in is mind. _"It's even harder in mid-air."_ The black-haired boy thought as he recalled how his defense had gone from a dome to a sphere due to his previously airborne status.

"He's getting tired!" One of the Sound shinobi eagerly announced.

The Hyuuga prodigy wished he was wrong, he wasn't a hundred percent from his battle with the blond genin and the successive us of Fudou Kaiten had taken a toll on his body and chakra supply.

The two Oto nins rushed forwards to attack. Neji was able to dodge their assault and deliver a couple of juuken strikes to their arms. The boy knew that no number of strikes to limbs would help since his opponents were only using taijutsu, cutting the chakra flow to their extremities would not hinder their physical strength much, the Leaf genin needed an opening to strike their vital organs, and he needed it fast.

In a gamble, Neji jumped over one of the Sound nins' shoulder, landing behind the shinobi, the Hyuuga immediately ducked, right before the Oto nin's hand swiped through where he had been with a kunai in hand.

Seeing his opening, the black haired boy gather chakra in his right palm before driving it into his opponent's chest as the man finished turning around. The juuken strike was strong enough to sent the Oto shinobi flying back as blood sputtered out of his mouth, Neji had made sure to add enough chakra in the strike to sent the Sound nin's heart into shock.

"Bastard!" The remaining Oto shinobi shouted as he tried to kick the boy.

Neji moved his body back to dodge the roundhouse kick that was directed his way. The Sound nin followed with a forward kick with his left leg, but missed as the black haired boy ducked under it.

Immediately, the Hyuuga rose slightly, capturing the Oto nin's leg with his arm and shoulder, and delivering a powerful juuken strike to the back of the man's leg before releasing it and moving back.

The Sound shinobi dropped to his knees as he grabbed his left leg in pain, the strike had severed several ligaments along the upper part of his leg, rendering him immobile. The man looked up, immediately his eyes were covered by fear as he found himself staring directly at the Leaf nin's Byakugan eyes.

"This…" Neji begun as he gathered chakra in his pointer and middle finger. "It's the end for you…" The boy declared before he drove a swift strike on his opponent's neck.

The Oto nin fell on his back as blood overflowed in his brains. The Hyuuga simply turned around, leaving his enemy to drown on his own blood.

Panting out of exhaustion, Neji looked towards the end of the street. _"Kiba should have gotten to the Hyuuga household by now…"_ The black haired boy thought.

It was hard for him to think of something, he wanted nothing more than just drop to the ground and let sweet unconsciousness take him. Moving towards the fence, Neji let his back rest against the wood before looking up at the sky and sighing.

The boy clenched his chest, ever since his fight with Uzumaki, his pulse had been erratic, a sign that the side effects of the blonde's jutsu still hadn't worn out.

Suddenly, the Hyuuga's eyes widened. Looking towards the end of the street, he could see a group of five Sound shinobi rushing towards him.

Forcing his body away from the wall, Neji turned to face the incoming party. _"Hinata-sama…I doubt that I will be able to apologize to you in person…"_ The boy thought, he could hardly keep his eyes opened now. _"I-I was blinded…by my hatred for the Main House…"_ The Oto group was getting near now; even if his eyes were tired the black haired genin could clearly see the kunais in their hands. _"I still hate the Main House, but now…I want to…"_ One of the Sound nins' kunais was traveling directly towards the Hyuuga, and the boy was too tired to do anything about it.

Suddenly it felt like a gust of wind went tunneling through the street. The Oto shinobi were all blown away by a powerful force before they reached him. "How dare you rise your weapons against my nephew?" Hiashi's voice thundered. Neji's eyes widened again as his uncle appeared in front of him, Byakugan blazing with cold fury. "You did an excellent job, Neji." The man said as he turned around, instead of using the Byakugan's ability, his voice was surprisingly calm, completely opposite to the killer intent he was giving off. "Just rest now, I'll take care of this vermin." Hiashi declared as he turned around to look at the terror-stricken face of the Sound nins.

Neji could only stare at his uncle's back as the man prepared to attack. Knowing that he was done with his part and the rest would be taken care of, the Hyuuga boy closed his eyes and let his body fall back. _"Hinata-sama…"_ He couldn't hear the fighting anymore. _"I want to find something beyond this hatred…"_ With the ghost of a smile on his face, Neji was finally able to rest.

* * *

"Hmm…that's strange…" Pakkun commented as he led the two genins.

"What happened?" Shino asked.

The small dog sniffed the air to make sure before answering. "One of the Sand nins changed directions." The canine informed.

"What?" Sakura exclaimed. "Which one?"

Pakkun sniffed the air again. "I believe it's the female…" The dog said. "But the weird part is that she's going around us." Pakkun concentrated his sense of smell into figuring out the reason why the Suna kunoichi would want to move behind them. _"I see…"_ The canine thought as his nose caught a scent of something that was following them.

"Should we move to intercept?" Shino wondered, the insects inside of him were getting ready to move out.

The dog shook his head. "Our mission is not to engage the Sand, we're here to prevent the Uchiha from confronting them." Pakkun said with an air of authority, the two Konoha genins couldn't do anything besides nod.

* * *

They were still far away, Naruto realized as he and Shikamaru rushed through the tree branches. "I swear Shikamaru, I'll leave you behind if you don't hurry up!" Naruto shouted at his comrade that was trailing behind.

"Take a kunai and shove it! Not all of us have your monstrous amount of stamina!" The Nara shouted back, though he still willed his body to move faster.

Naruto prepared a retort when something caught his attention. "Look out!" The blond warned as he moved out of the way. Catching the warning, Shikamaru jumped to the side.

A second after, a powerful gust of wing swept through where they had been standing. "What was that?" The black haired genin asked as he hid behind a tree, just in case another attack might be directed their way.

"I think she might have a crush on you, Shikamaru." at Naruto's comments, the Nara stepped out of his hiding place, his eyes widening at the sight of the fan-wielding Temari. "I have to say, I'm a little jealous." The blond looked back at his friend, a small smirk playing on his face.

Shikamaru glared at the blond. "Shut up…" He simply said. The Nara's gaze fell on the new arrival, she had a serious expression on her face, a tight grip on her fan, and, Shikamaru could have sworn, she seemed to be shaking. Shaking his own head, the black haired genin addressed his comrade. "I'll stay behind while you go on." The boy said.

Naruto turned around and regarded the Nara for a couple of seconds. "Hell no!" Shikamaru was slightly taken back by the bond boy's responds. "I saw what you did during your match with her, you already blew your chance." The Sharingan-user said.

With a sigh, The Nara had no other option but to give up. _"I knew he would hold that over my head."_ The black haired genin thought. "Just don't mess around, ok?" The boy said as he jumped back into a tree branch.

"Yeah, yeah, just go and get out of my sight" Naruto said as he turned around to look at Temari.

Shikamaru dashed passed the two blonds, he was surprise that the Suna kunoichi hadn't even acknowledged his presence. _"So your target is Naruto…"_ The boy thought as left them behind.

The blond boy observed his opponent; he had taken notice of her state of nervousness. "So, what does a pretty girl like you want with me?" The Leaf nin asked. "Besides the obvious." He teased with a small smirk. _"Damn, I've spent too much to with Ero-sensei…"_

Without answering or even acknowledging the boy's questions, Temari raised her fan. "Kamaitachi no Jutsu!" She shouted as she beat her fan, causing another gust of wind to sweep through.

Naruto jumped out of the attack's way with ease. The boy's right hand immediately moved towards his tool pouch to take out a kunai.

"Kamaitachi no Jutsu!" The second attack came faster than the Leaf nin had expected. The bond boy had to jump behind a tree to prevent getting hit. _"I have to keep him here…"_ Temari thought. _"I can't let him get close to Gaara…"_

The blond boy frowned behind the tree. "That fan could be a problem." Making the familiar hand signs, the Konoha genin created a pair of clones who rushed towards the kunoichi. Just as the boy had predicted, the girl's wind jutsu wiped his bushins out of existence.

Immediately, Naruto took out a kunai and moved to attack, but caught his miscalculation a little too late. "Kamaitachi no Jutsu!" The boy hadn't reach the mid point of his advance when the jutsu hit him, sending him flying back, only stopping when he hit a tree.

The Leaf shinobi had almost no time to get on his feet and jump out of the way as the blond girl rushed towards him and swung her closed fan. The weapon hit the tree with enough strength to snap its trunk. "That could have been me." Naruto sighed from another branch. With a quick glance at her opponent's new position, Temari opened her fan and swung it on the boy's direction with one fluent movement. The Konoha shinobi had not choice but to jump and get back into hiding. _"I never expected her reaction time to be this good."_ The boy pondered.

Temari was beginning to feel the toll of her efforts. _"Kankuro, you better make use of the time I'm giving you…"_ the girl thought. She had never released so many attacks in such rapid succession and now it was really draining her.

The signs of the kunoichi's exhaustion were not lost to the blond boy. _"I could just keep attacking until she runs out of chakra."_ The Leaf shinobi wondered. _"But who knows how long that would take, it totally defeats the purpose."_ Taking a deep breath, the boy created a bushin.

Both Leaf genins ran out of hiding, each one throwing a pair of kunais towards the kunoichi. Temari immediately beat her fan, releasing her wind jutsu.

Stepping on his clones shoulder, Naruto jumped out of the range of the attack, just as he expected, the blond girl shot another gust of wind towards him. The boy created another bushin and shielded himself behind his body. "Sorry…" The genin said to his look-alike. The clone merely gave him a smirk before disappearing into a cloud of smoke along with the fuuton jutsu.

Creating one more clone behind him in order to propel back down, Naruto shot himself towards the Sand kunoichi. Once again, the girl's maneuverability surprised the Leaf nin as his kunai was stopped by the girl's fan. Looking at his opponent's face, the boy received a smirk from the kunoichi. "Gotcha…" She said in a low voice before pushing the Konoha shinobi back. "Kamaitachi no Jutsu!" Temari released her jutsu, sending her fellow blond flying back at full force.

Naruto hit the ground hard and, once again, lacked the time to lament anything as he had to immediately jump out of the way to evade another gust of wind. "Damn, if I could just stop her for one second…!" The boy complained.

Suddenly, the genin could hear a familiar, not annoying, laughter inside his head. **"Hahaha, it seems that she has more upper body strength than you, Kit."** The fox's voice said with the usual mocking tone.

"_Shut up, I don't have time for this…"_ The boy raged in his mind as he tried to catch his breath.

Kyuubi's laughter never quivered. **"Well, it just so happens that I know a way out of this predicament you have gotten yourself into."** At the boy's silence the bijuu's laughter grew stronger. **"Aren't we interested?"** The fox teased.

The boy's patience was running short. _"Are you going to tell me or not?"_ He exclaimed in his head.

A chuckle escaped the fox before continuing. **"You need to stop thinking about the situation strategically and start thinking logically"** Kyuubi waited to savor the boy's confusion before proceeding. **"Think about it Kit, for what we have seen of her, we can safely assume that she's a proud female warrior."** The jinchuuriki nodded. **"And there's one think that is almost guaranteed to stop a proud female…"**

He could feel the smirk forming in the bijuu's face. _"Which is…?"_ The boy asked, a part of him was slightly scared of what the answer might be.

The laughter returned to his head. **"Hehehe, what you do is this…"** The fox could barely control the glee in his voice.

Naruto was unable to control the blush that appeared in his face after hearing the bijuu's words. _"What the hell? That's anything but logical!"_ The boy screamed in his mind.

By now, Kyuubi was roaring in laughter. **"If you're man enough, you'll do it."** The fox nudged. **"Come on Kit, quick and painless, well for the most part."**

"_Easy for you to say…"_ The genin thought as he tried to gather his courage. "I just know I'm going to regret this in the morning." The blond thought with a sigh. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

Three Naruto jumped from their hiding place towards the Suna kunoichi. Temari swung her fan, directing a gust of wind towards her attackers; she wasn't surprised when all three of them disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Immediately, five more blonds jumped from the tree top.

Without thinking twice, the girl beat her fan once again, wiping the group of bushin out of existence.

Before the cloud of the clones disappeared completely, the girl became aware of eight more Konoha nins falling from above. "Kamaitachi no Jutsu!" The powerful blast of wind shot upwards, taking out all eight attackers. Temari watched the cloud dissipate, suddenly her eyes widened as her gaze dropped down. Having taken advantage of the distraction caused by his clones, the Leaf genin had made a dash directly towards the girl. Acting on instinct, Temari blocked the incoming attack with her fan.

Naruto gulped, he could see the blond girl's body preparing to push him back again to launch another attack, it was now or never. Putting one hand on the kunoichi's fan, the blond brought it down, lowering the girls head in the process, and leaned the upper part of his body forward as he placed his other hand in her shoulder to direct her towards him, before Temari knew what had happened, her lips had been caught by his.

Time seemed to have stop, she was aware that her defenses were down, aware that her fan was blocked, and even aware about the boy in front of her, it was the point where they're bodies connected that she wasn't too sure of. Suddenly, the kunoichi felt the hand that had been placed on her shoulder pulled back and placed on the upper part of her abdomen.

Gathering chakra in his palm, Naruto pushed the girl in front of him back with a juuken-like strike, focusing more on the impact rather than damaging internal organs. The attack was strong enough to sent Temari back against a tree, hitting her head hard in the process.

The blond boy tried to catch his breath. **"There,"** Kyuubi's voice sounded in his head. **"That wasn't so bad now, was it?"** The fox started laughing. **"In fact, I'm willing to bet that you enjoyed it."** The bijuu teased before continuing laughing.

Naruto gritted his teeth at the fox's comments, yet his hand had moved unconsciously towards his lips as he couldn't fight off the blush that had spread throughout his face or the thoughts of how soft her lips had been. "At least this was better than last time…" The blond admitted before jumping back on the branches and continuing on his way, not before stealing one last glance at the resting kunoichi he had stolen a kiss from.

* * *

**A/N - Hehe...I couldn't help myself with the Naru/Tema moment, though I this fic still doesn't have an official paring. Once again, I don't know when the next chapter would be up, I'm debating whether I should split it in two or not, this chapter was suppose to run longer, but it would have taken me at least one more month. Thanks for reading.**


	14. As He Descended Into Madness

_**As He Descended Into Madness**_

Kankuro kept looking back over his shoulder as he jumped from branch to branch. "Please… be alright…" The boy whispered, hopping that by some way, his sister would hear him.

It had already been twenty minutes since she went to try to hold off that blond boy, and five minutes since he was able to feel her chakra at all. The puppet user kept telling himself that it was all because they were now too far apart and he never bothered to hone his chakra detection skills. It was needless to say that it was failing miserably and he was getting more and more worried with every minute that passed.

The brown haired boy sighed. _"At least you're still out…"_ He thought as he looked at the sleeping form of his younger brother, not daring speak it out of fear of jinxing it.

Suddenly, Kankuro's eyes shot open, he had been so preoccupied with his sister's status the he had not caught on to a more imminent problem. While he had been musing in his mind, the Uchiha guy had been getting closer and closer, to the point that, if Kankuro dared to look back again, he would now be able to see him approach.

Before the Sand genin could think of something to do, he was unexpectedly pushed aside against a tree. Opening his eyes, the boy froze in his place as he beheld the terrifying sight of his younger brother baring his fangs at someone. Forcing his neck to turn, Kankuro's eyes set on the raven haired genin that was now foolishly standing just a few branches from Gaara.

The redhead observed the Uchiha as he clenched his head in obvious pain, yet as a smile started to form in his face.

"Whatever it is you're trying to pull…" Sasuke began as he took out a kunai. "… It ends here…" The Sharingan appeared in the raven haired genin's eyes.

"End…?" Gaara asked, his voice coming out strained. "Nothing is going to end…" A weird, blue pattern appeared in his right arm as the hold of the redhead's left hand on his head tightened. "Nothing is going to end until Mother is satisfied…!" The Suna genin exclaimed as the blue pattern spread all the way to the right side of his face and he dropped to his knees.

Sasuke fought the urge to step back. His eyes watched in disbelieve as the redhead in front of him started to change.

Gaara's right arm had apparently changed into what appeared to be a sand claw, awfully similar to the thing that had grabbed his arm back in the stadium. The Sand genin's face had become a grotesque sight as his right side resembled that of a monster, all the while a frightening chakra seeped out of his body.

The Uchiha's Sharingan eyes widened when he felt the redhead's chakra, its terrorizing feeling seemed familiar to him, somehow, someway, the chakra reminded him of Naruto.

Snapping out of his trance, Sasuke jumped just before the Suna genin's sand claw came crashing through the tree branch he had been standing on. The Uchiha had little time to contemplate the situation as the sand arm immediately shot up, destroying everything in his path, and leaving the Leaf genin no other choice but to jump from tree to tree as the sand monstrosity chased him around.

The sand limb retracted back to the redhead. "What's the matter?!" Gaara's voice had become raspy and grunt-like. "It's no fun if you just jump all over the place; Mother won't like that at all." The Sand genin commented as he looked at his opponent.

Sasuke took notice at how the redhead's right eye had changed, it had become all black with a yellow pupil; it was the yellow color that got to him, it remind him of a certain blond, and the mere memory of his teammate, accompanied with the strange chakra that the Suna genin was giving off, put the Uchiha on edge. Shaking those thoughts off his mind, the raven haired boy took out a kunai just as the sand claw shot directly towards him. Jumping to meet the attack, Sasuke impaled his kunai right on claw's palm.

There was no reaction or sign of pain from the Sand shinobi, instead the claw begun to close in on the Uchiha.

Realizing his mistake, Sasuke used his impaled kunai to propel himself away from the monstrous limb just as the piece of metal sunk into the sand.

Gaara merely smiled and proceeded to do a flailing movement with his sand arm. Suddenly, the captured kunai shot straight towards the Leaf genin's face.

Sasuke was barely able to move his head a few inches, but managed to evade the incoming blade with only a cut on the cheek. Landing on a nearby branch, the boy brought his hand to his cheek and checked his wound; deeming the cut as nothing to be worried about, he set his attention back on the redhead.

"Are you going to get serious…?" Gaara asked in a taunting voice. "We were told that the Uchiha were elite shinobi, it seems Mother and me were misinformed…" The red head commented.

"Shut up!" The raven haired boy exclaimed as he glared at the Suna genin. "You know nothing about the Uchiha Clan!" Sasuke declared. Suddenly an image of his blond teammate and his blue Sharingan appeared in his mind, the raven haired boy's eyes widened slightly. _"It seems you don't know the Uchiha Clan as much as you thought either…"_ The voice his mind had chosen to send him this message which had been too familiar to the young Uchiha, causing his body to shake slightly.

Merely laughing at the raven haired boy's outburst, Gaara brought his deformed arm back. "Well then, show me!" he exclaimed as he thrust his arm forward.

The sand claw increased in size as it flew towards the Uchiha. Sasuke evaded the attack by jumping over the limb while the claw proceeded on clenching the tree the Konoha genin had just been standing on and break the trunk as though it were a twig.

Gaara swiped his sand arm without releasing the tree, leaving the Sharingan user no other choice but to jump from branch to branch as trees were taken down one after the other.

Sasuke was taken by surprise when the sand claw hurled the tree towards him, but managed to bring his feet forward to absorb the impact. The boy had less than a second to figure out what to do next as the sand claw came bursting through the tree trunk. Finding the monstrous limb less than two feet away from his face, the Uchiha's hand automatically went through a familiar series of hand seals. "Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" The raven haired boy shot a fireball towards the claw, successfully blasting the sand arm away.

After the fire blast, the sand claw was reduced to nothing but a stump as it started to drop towards the ground.

Sighing in relief, Sasuke started to prepare his body for a safe landing. Suddenly, the Uchiha's attention spanned back at the sand limb whose claw had reformed itself and was flying straight towards him at great speed. Being already airborne, there was nothing that the Sharingan user could do to defend himself as the sand claw seized his body and started a violent dive towards the ground.

Acting out of desperation, Sasuke's hand started on another set of hand seals. "Housenka no Jutsu!" Several fireballs shot from the raven haired boy's mouth and hit the sand arm without any evident result. Shaking off his growing anxiety and trying to focus his mind, Sasuke directed the fireballs in a single point right at the end of the sand hand, successfully detaching the claw from the rest the limb just in time for the raven haired boy to grab on a tree branch and prevent his body from meeting the ground.

"_That's it…"_ Sasuke thought as he stood up in the branch and he glared at the laughing redhead in front of him before shooting his body forward.

"HAHAHAH…! That's more like it!" Gaara exclaimed. "Come on and attack me!" The Suna genin shouted as he thrust his sand claw forward.

Sasuke moved towards the redhead at great speed. Looking straight up, he could see the Sand genin's claw approaching towards him ready to strike. Jumping to the side just as the arm went crashing through the path he had previously walked, the Uchiha started circling the redhead, moving higher and closer to the evidently deranged boy.

Gaara willed his sand arm to chase the Sharingan user among the trees. The branches were no obstacle for the sand monstrosity as it got closer to the raven haired boy. The jinchuuriki started to smile at the thought of the blood he would soon offer Mother, the smile soon became an all out laugh. Suddenly, the sun was blocked off for the redhead. Turning his head up, Gaara could see many of the branches that his claw had cut through falling towards him. Immediately, the genin pull back his transformed arm and brought it over his head to protect himself from the incoming debris.

With his arm taking the role of a shield, Gaara stood defenseless as Sasuke appeared in front of him, a smirk adorning his face, and delivered a hard punch on his face; sending the Sand shinobi flying back.

As the redhead flew back, too shocked to do anything, he was able to sense the Uchiha appearing behind his still airborne body. Gaara didn't have to look back to know that the smirk was still in the raven haired boy's face.

Flexing his body, Sasuke executed what seemed to be a spinning kick, burying his foot in the Suna genin's gut and sending him flying down, hitting the ground hard. Taking advantage of his offensive streak, the raven haired boy immediately started making hand seals. "Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" He shouted before shooting another fireball at his opponent, creating a massive explosion.

Panting as he waited for the smoke to clear, Sasuke stood on a tree branch trying to catch any sign of movement among the cloud that his attack had raised. Suddenly, a jolt of pain shot from his left shoulder. As the boy winced in pain, his attention was diverted from the dissipating cloud of smoke for a second, enough time for the sand claw to shot towards him and enclose his left leg.

Sasuke was flailed through the air and slammed again the trunk of a tree with tremendous force. When the Uchiha's body started to fall, the sand claw returned hitting him in the chest and driving the boy through many branches before throwing his body do the ground, leaving him apparently unconscious.

The raven haired boy was brought back to reality by the Suna genin's laughter. Looking up, he was greeted by what seemed to be a giant fist made out of sand rushing down towards him. The Sharingan user was able to roll over at the last minute, managing to evade the attack. Getting up as quickly as he could, Sasuke was caught by surprise when the sand arm immediately recovered from its missed impact and shot towards him. Out of desperation, Sasuke jumped to a tree as he took out a kunai and starting to cut down the tree's smaller branches, causing many leaves to fall off and managing to conceal his body.

Gaara's laughter boomed through the forest. "HAHAHAH…! Come out! This is just getting interesting!" The redhead exclaimed as he laughed. "You can't be done already, Mother is still expecting more!" The deranged boy informed as he looked around.

Kankuro closed his fist tightly to try to stop his shaking. _"This is bad…"_ The puppet user though as he watched his younger brother laugh manically. The brown haired boy knew what his brother wanted; blood to offer to that _thing_ inside of him, and, at this point, it didn't matter who it was from. So, if he can't find the Uchiha, it would be just a matter of time before Gaara would set his sight towards him. _"Temari… what should I do?"_ The genin thought, not knowing if he would feel safer having his sister by his side, or as far from their younger brother as it was possible.

"Come on Uchiha Sasuke!" Gaara shouted with glee. "I'll try to make it as quick as possible, but I can't make any promises!" The redhead followed his statement with another fit of maniacal laughter. Giving his surroundings one last quick look, the Sand genin started to take down random trees with his sand claw in his search for the Uchiha.

The Sharingan user pressed his body firmly against the trunk of a tree, trying to make it the least visible possible as he heard the sound of trees being snapped in two like they were pencils, he silently prayed that the redhead wouldn't chose the one he was hiding behind. Another jolt of pain shot from the Uchiha's shoulder, causing the raven haired boy to bite his lips in order to prevent any yelp of pain from escaping him as he gritted his left arm tightly.

Sasuke's eyes wandered to the left side of his body, setting themselves on his left shoulder. The Leaf genin's eyes widened as he saw most of his shoulder covered by black, flame-like marks. Closing his eyes, the boy tried to concentrate into willing the strange marks into retracting.

"I'm getting bored!" The redhead announced as he took down another tree. "You better come out before I-…." Gaara suddenly stopped his statement as he looked at the direction of they have come from and smiled. "…It seems that we're going to have company really soon…" The Suna genin informed before starting on another fit of laughter.

Behind his hiding spot, Sasuke's eyes shot open at his opponent's revelation. Focusing his senses, the boy was able to sense a pair of familiar chakra signatures approaching.

By now, Gaara's laughter had died down into a malicious chuckle. "I wonder…" The redhead begun as he started giving off an even more terrifying killer intent. "…If the sight of their blood would excite you the same way it does me…"

As soon it as the words left Gaara's mouth, the whole forest changed while its physical state remained the same. The whole area was filled with the sound of electricity charging as killer intent, strong enough to match the redhead's, was released.

Turning around with a smile on his face Gaara faced his opponent.

Sasuke stood just a couple of branches away from the Sand genin. His eyes glared at the redhead with pure contempt as a Chidori burned in his left hand. "You will not touch them…" The raven boy declared as his mind was drowned with images of how all the people that he held dear had been taken away from him in one single night. "I'll kill you before you get a chance to harm them!" The Uchiha shouted as he shot towards his opponent, not caring about the pain his body was in or about the fact that the flame-like marks had spread all the way to his neck.

Gaara's smile widened as he jump to meet his prey, the sand claw already prepared to strike. "That's what I wanted!" The boy roared.

"Chidori!" Sasuke screamed as he brought his electric charged hand forwards. Lighting met sand.

As he landed on a branch, the Uchiha looked back to find the monstrous claw detached from the redhead and flying through the air, a smile formed in his lips. Being too distracted by his accomplishment, Sasuke didn't realize when his feet touched the tree branch, nor when his legs gave up and he fell on the branch.

Forcing his body off the wood, and trying to ignore the tremendous pain that was cruising through his body, the raven haired boy looked at the redhead. Sasuke eyes widened as he was consumed by terror.

A wicked smiled had appeared on Gaara's face as his deranged eyes focused on his opponent. The gourd on his back started to disintegrate, turning into a new claw to replace the detached one and a gigantic tail with the same blue pattern as the other sand limp. "HAHAHAH…!" The Sand genin laughed manically as he dashed towards the Uchiha. Brining his claw up, the crazed boy prepared to strike.

Sasuke waited for the pain to come when he heard a blow connect, but when the only pain that he felt was the one already running through his body, the Uchiha opened his eyes. Once again, the boy was surprised by the sight that greeted him.

"You should be more careful, Sasuke…" A monotonous voice said. Shino stood in front of the fallen Uchiha while in a branch beyond him stood Gaara with a bruise in his left cheek.

The raven haired boy found himself at lost of words as he stared at his former classmate pushing his sunglasses up. "Sasuke-kun!" Turning his head around, the Sharingan user could see his pink haired teammate, and what seemed to be a dog wearing a Konoha headband, running towards him. "Are you alri-?" Sakura begun to ask as she reached the fallen boy, but stopped when she saw the flame-like patter on the boy's shoulder.

"I'm alright…" Sasuke murmured, reluctantly taking the pink haired girl's help to stand up.

"Ok, we got the Uchiha; now let's get out of here before something bad happens." Pakkun merely said.

"Did that dog just talked…?" The raven haired boy asked confused as he examined the strange canine.

"I'm afraid we can't go anywhere…" Shino informed, his eyes set on the deformed Suna shinobi in front of them. "I doubt that he would simply let us walk out." The Aburame said simply.

Sakura cringed at the sight of the redhead's current form, but monstrous as it may appear, the thing that surprised her the most was how his chakra felt so similar to Naruto's.

Gaara simply let out a laugh as he regarded the group of Leaf nins. "Sasuke is my prey, so if you'd please stand aside…" The boy said in a mocking tone.

Sasuke tried to move his body forward to face his opponent, but was blocked by Shino. "Sasuke is in no shape to fight right now, so I'll be taking his place." The black haired boy said calmly.

"What?! Shino, no-" The Uchiha tried to convince his former classmate's mind, but the Aburame simply ignored him and jumped a few branches forward.

The only reaction at the change of opponents was a gleeful laughter from Gaara. "Why don't I just kill all of you?!" The redhead exclaimed as he shot the sand claw forward.

The Sharingan user watch what appeared to be a replay of his battle as Shino moved to evade and the sand limb chased him through the trees, running through any branches, and some trunks, that were on his way. The raven haired boy couldn't help but notice that the claw's movements had become faster; leading him to conclude that his comrade had no chance of winning this battle.

As a realization of the Uchiha's fears, the sand claw ran through the branch that the Aburame was about to land on, leaving the black haired boy in a free fall towards the ground.

Before Shino's body impacted the ground, the boy was caught by the sand monstrosity.

Brining his prey's body up, Gaara smiled maliciously as his sand started to cover the struggling Leaf genin's body. Enjoying the look of absolute terror in the eyes of his opponent's comrades, the redhead raised the sand covered shinobi further, making sure to be in clear view of his friends. "Sabaku Sousou!" The deranged genin shouted as the sand coffin contracted to crush his victim as the redhead laughed gleefully.

Sasuke immediately forced his body to move, positioning it in front of Sakura in order to block their friend's tragic fate from her view.

Roaring laughter celebrated the forest's new crimson taint. As the Sand genin looked around to examine his artwork, Gaara's eyes widened in surprise and anger. In his fit of laughter, the boy's mind had visualized the glorious rain of blood, while he hadn't realized that the forest had remind as green as before.

Dispersing the sand immediately, the redhead boy was surprised to find only a horde of insects instead of the black haired boy. "No one has fallen for that one since Kiba…" A monotonous voice said from behind Gaara. Turning around, all that Gaara's widened left eye could see was the Konoha genin's fist traveling straight towards him.

The force of the punch was strong enough to send the Suna shinobi into a nearby tree.

"I may lack a Sharingan, but please don't underestimate me…" Shino simply said as he pushed his sunglasses up and regarded the redhead.

A sight of relief escaped Sasuke when his former classmate reappeared. "Uh… Sasuke-kun, what are you doing…?" Sakura's words came up barely above a whisper, catching the Uchiha attention.

The blush that appeared on the normally brooding boy's face was only matched be the one in the pink haired girl's. In his attempt of preventing his teammate from witnessing their friend's "imminent" death, he had positioned his body in front of her. She was in a kneeling position while his chest hovered a couple of inches away from her face while his right hand had a firm, yet soft, hold on her left shoulder. "…Sorry…" The Uchiha said, his voice managing to come out even lower than Sakura's as he mentally cursed his awakening teenage hormones.

Gaara growled as he glared at the black haired boy. "You're going to pay for that one!" The Sand genin declared as he swung his deformed arm forwards, sending the sand claw straight towards the Aburame.

Kankuro stood dumbfounded, he had only heard about the Aburame clan once in his village from two elder shinobi discussing, as they put it, "unorthodox" ninja techniques, but to think that one of them could have fooled the person he feared the most, so easily. The puppet user watched as the boy with sunglasses evaded his younger brother's attack with apparent ease, causing the redhead to growl and grunt in annoyance and frustration.

Suddenly, Shino stopped moving, he simply stood on a branch with his hand in his pockets and waited as the sand claw approached him at a blinding speed. Sakura tried to scream, Sasuke tightened his fist, Kankuro gritted his teeth, and Gaara smiled wickedly as his claw was about to strike the black haired boy.

Just as the claw was about to close in, the monstrosity came to an abrupt stop in front of the Leaf genin's face. Shino merely pushed his sunglasses up again, observing the sand limb as it begun to breakdown and chunks of sand fell to the ground.

"What's going on?!" Gaara exclaimed as he watched in terror as the sand, his sand, ignored his will and fell lifelessly.

Shino brought one of his hands out of his pocket and pointed at the redhead. "You haven't realized yet…?" The boy asked.

Looking down, the Sand genin's eyes widened as he found numerous black bugs crawling around his body.

"Kikai Mushi" Shino simply stated as many more bugs appeared crawling around his whole body. "They have the ability to eat chakra, rendering techniques like yours…" If Sasuke didn't know any better he would have sworn that behind the collard of his shirt, the black haired boy was smiling. "…Useless…" The boy added before starting off towards the redhead.

Gaara brought his crumbling sand arm up in order to defend himself.

Shino merely closed his hand into a fist and drove it straight through the sand arm, the sand crumbled away like it was nothing, and the Aburame's fist sunk into the right side of the Sand genin's face, sending him flying back.

The redhead was able to use his tail before it broke down to get back on his feet, but the boy had not time to regard the situation as his opponent suddenly appeared in front of him and delivered a strong uppercut on his chin, causing the redhead's feet to leave the ground again.

The black haired boy followed with a kick on the Suna genin's stomach that sent him flying into a tree trunk.

With the Destruction Bugs still on his body and his sand falling slowly to the ground, Gaara struggled to stand up as everyone present remained quite. "HAHAHAH!" The silent in the forest was broken by the redhead's crazed laughter. "You really think…" The boy begun as what remained of his gourd turned into sand and what had fallen to the ground returned. "…That you could just separate Mother from me that easily!"

Everyone watched in shock and horror as every part of Gaara's body from the knees up was covered in sand and took a bestial form with the tail swinging lively in the back. Both eyes had become black with a strange yellow pupil while the boy's teeth became sharpened, resembling an animal's.

A smile spread on the redhead's face as he regarded the people present in the forest. His sand body stirred slightly before he brought his closed fist forward. Unclenching his hands slowly, the deformed boy let the Kikai Mushi fall to the ground as his smile widened.

While his sunglasses and collar hid Shino's expression from everyone else, nothing prevented the others from seeing the Aburame's fist tightening in anger as he watched his dead Destruction Bugs being discarded.

Gaara merely laughed before he tilted his body upwards and several mouths appeared on his monstrous body and begun to inhale air. "Mugen Sajin Daitoppa!" The Sand genin shouted before blasting a powerful gust of wind and sand. The force of the blast of air was strong enough to blow the Aburame away. Smiling once again the redhead shot both of his arms forward towards the Leaf nin.

Seeing the two sand limbs coming towards him, Shino tried to shift his body to dodge them, but due to his current airborne condition, one of them caught him by his right arm.

Before the black haired boy could react, Gaara willed his sand to contract and break the boy's arm just like he had done to the green-wearing one during the preliminaries. Delighted at the Aburame's screams, the redhead smiled as he used his arm to pull the body towards him and slamming his body into a near by branch.

With a victorious smile on his face, Gaara launched his body forward to deliver the final blow. Landing on the Konoha genin's branch, the boy raised his disfigured claw.

Once again, the finishing strike never connected as the Suna nin found his body unable to move just a few inches away from the Aburame. "You people are just too troublesome to deal with sometimes." A somewhat bored voice said from bellow the two genins.

Shikamaru hung upside down from the branch that held his former classmate and the deranged Sand genin, his shadow connected to the former, restricting his movement.

"Shino, if you please get out of the way, this position is not as comfortable as it may appear." The Nara said sarcastically.

Nodding, the Aburame lifted his body off the branch and moved away just as the redhead next to him willed the sand in his body to attack the hanging shinobi bellow them.

The Nara immediately disconnected his shadow from Gaara's and jumped to another branch before the sand could reach him.

"So… You're going to fight me next?" The Suna genin asked, his voice was a strange mix of both amusement at the sight of another prey and frustration at the lack of bloodshed.

Shikamaru simply gave the redhead a confused look. "Fight? Me?" He asked pointing at himself. "Sorry, you must have me confused with someone who likes jumping around and go back and forth in fist fights." The black haired boy said with a shrug of his shoulder. "Besides, my abilities are meant for stalling, not fighting."

Gaara let out a frustrated growl. "Then get out of my sight!" The boy exclaimed as he thrust his arms forward.

The Leaf genin dodged the incoming attacks by jumping into a higher branch, now standing at eye level with the redhead. "Sorry, no can do." The black haired boy simply stated. "Otherwise he won't let me hear the end of it." The boy informed as he got into a meditation stance.

Letting out another growl, the deformed shinobi jumped towards the Nara. The moment Gaara step on the branch, he found his body unable to move agin, caught in the same technique as before. "Stop that!" The boy demanded as he willed his sand to attack, but by that time the Konoha genin had already dispel his jutsu and jumped to another branch.

"Simple yet extremely amusing to watch." Shikamaru commented as the stood over his, unofficial, opponent.

"GRHAAAW!" Gaara screamed in frustration before swinging one of his arms, cutting through the tree where the Nara was standing and the ones around.

Jumping as far as he could, Shikamaru barely managed to hang onto a branch on one of the trees that survived the Suna genin's assault. The black haired boy only had time to take out a kunai and a pair of shuriken before his right leg was pulled down by Gaara's sand claw. Thinking quickly, Shikamaru threw the three blades upward, cutting off several leaves and branches, and used their shadows to connect his with the redhead's, successfully stopping the boy's movement long enough to set himself free from his hold and jump to another branch.

Shikamaru had no time to assess the situation. Before he could even react, a gigantic sand fist connected with his body, blasting him back against a tree, impacting the trunk hard. The Nara's body felt numbly on branch in a sitting position. "All of your attempts have been futile!" Gaara exclaimed victorious and gleeful.

A half smile appeared on the black haired boy as he lifted his head up. "I told you already, my abilities are meant for stalling." He said as his smile turned into a smirk and his eyes mockingly regarded the redhead. "I was only buying him enough time…" Shikamaru commented as his eyes set on something beyond Gaara.

A soft "thud" as he landed on a branch announced his arrival. "Seriously Shikamaru, I leave you alone for five minutes and you get yourself into trouble again." Naruto merely said, not paying attention at the situation.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered the blonde's name. Her emerald eyes caught his dark sapphire ones for a second, the boy gave her a simple nod and, for some reason unknown to her, she felt much safer.

"You!" Gaara exclaimed as his face twisted into a sick form of happiness at the sight of the fellow jinchuuriki. "You finally got here, the one that has been calling Mother out!" The deranged redhead stated as he observed the new arrival with glee.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he finally set his eyes on the transformed Sand genin. _"I take it that by the form he has, it's Ichibi…"_ Naruto stated in his mind.

In the boy's mind, the fox grunted. **"That stupid raccoon always tended to pick a human and become extremely attach to him or her, that's how he ended up trap in that kettle in the first place…"** Kyuubi informed. **"But to come off as the boy's "Mother" and eat his sanity away like that, I think Shukaku has been losing it over the years"** The biyuu commented, his tone carrying a hint of annoyance towards the tailed beast inside the redhead.

Feeling a nudge from his "Mother", Gaara took advantage of the fact that the blond had become distracted with something. "Suna Shuriken!" The crazed boy shouted as hurled a barrage of sand disk at his opponent.

By the time Naruto became aware of the attack it was already too late and every single disk hit his body, packing enough force to lift his body off.

Sasuke was surprised by what happened after the attack, but what really surprised was that Naruto had been hit by it. The wounded, airborne blond simply disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Before Gaara could start his search for his opponent, the redhead felt as several kicks connected to his upper back and shoulder, sending him crashing down to the ground. Standing out, the Suna jinchuuriki looked up to find five Naruto about to launch their kunais at him. "Mugen Sajin Daitoppa!" The Sand genin released his attack immediately, effectively blowing all the blondes into clouds of smoke, though not before they released their kunais.

None of the blades hit the redhead, instead landing around him. Something about the kunais caught Gaara's attention, looking down the boy found the five blades with explosive tags wrapped on them.

Preparing to jump away from the blast zone, the Sand genin was surprised when he found his feet unable to move again. Looking back down, the redhead saw two pairs of hands sprouted from the ground holding his head in place. Gaara was helpless as the five tags explode into a huge blast.

"Damn…you…!" The redhead let out as he struggled to lift his body upright. His head move upward and set on the blond standing in front of him.

A smirk appeared on Naruto's face. "Are you still enjoying yourself?" The genin mocked the other jinchuuriki.

Gaara merely grunted before the smile returned to his face. "Of course I am…" The redhead informed, his face twisting and appearing even more insane. "This fight proves that I exist!" The boy declared.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Is this… pity? What I'm feeling for you…?" The blond wondered, causing the Sand genin to look at him confused. "Or do I envy you?" He continued. "All my live I wondered if my life had any meaning, at least you believe yours had one, but something as sad as that…" Naruto's eyes appeared as though they softened. "I guess us beggars can't be choosers." He added with a dry laugh.

Sakura felt like her heart ached at her teammate's words.

Whatever sympathy was there in the blonde's eyes was gone in the next moment as his eyes scornfully set on Gaara. "But you endangered my friends and I can't look away from that…" Naruto stated as his blue Sharingan appeared in his eyes.

* * *

Sabaku Sousou – Dessert Funeral

Mugen Sajin Daitoppa – Infinite Dust Great Breakthrough

Suna Shuriken – Sand Shuriken

* * *

**A/N – Had some problems stating to write this chapter, what can I say? I'm not a fan of Sasuke, so the beginning was a little forced. Overall, not my favorite chapter, as it's basically one long, drawn out fight, I was having DBZ flashbacks while writing it, while having virtually nothing plot wise. Technically, the next chapter shouldn't be as big of a problem as this one, and with more depth, but I'm thinking about starting a new project, I call it the Ultimate Xover Fic. I'm going to try to take a vantage of the motivation period I'm going through and get the new story underway, I have a self-imposed rule that I have to update any new fic I post at least once before working on something else, and then I can work on the next PHD chapter, hopefully I'll make it. Thanks for reading.**


	15. All I Have

**A/N – Sorry for the delay, this chapter was suppose to be done over two weeks ago, sadly I just couldn't get started so I decided to work on the Naruto/Kingdom Hearts crossover instead of wasting time waiting for the motivation to return, as some of you might have seen it with my update rate in 2007, that can take months. Now, without anything further, here it is, Naruto vs. Gaara…**

* * *

_**All I Have**_

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Is this… pity? What I'm feeling for you…?" The blond wondered, causing the Sand genin to look at him confused. "Or do I envy you?" He continued. "All my life, I wondered if my life had any meaning, at least you believe yours had one, but something as sad as that…" Naruto's eyes appeared as though they softened. "I guess us beggars can't be choosers." He added with a dry laugh.

Sakura felt like her heart ached at her teammate's words.

Whatever sympathy was there in the blonde's eyes was gone in the next moment as his eyes scornfully set on Gaara. "But you endangered my friends and I can't look away from that…" Naruto stated as his blue Sharingan appeared in his eyes.

If the redhead had been intimidated by the strange Sharingan, he was able to hide it perfectly. The deranged Suna genin let out a malicious laugh as he stared right back at the Leaf genin's glare. "That look in you eyes is perfect!" Gaara commented as he smiled in glee. "I want you to look at me like that until the very moment when I'll spill your blood for Mother!" The jinchuuriki exclaimed as he thrust but arms forward in the direction of the blond.

Naruto jumped upwards, but instead of landing on a higher branch, the Konoha genin used it to propel his body forward, creating enough force to speed past the incoming sand limbs. The blond jinchuuriki closed his hand as he approached the redhead, the punch failed as the Suna shinobi jumped to a different branch before it could connect.

Gaara wasted no time to attack. Not giving his opponent a chance to even turn around, the Sand genin shot his body forward, his claws ready to strike his prey.

The blond jumped back the moment he sensed the incoming attack. Doing a back flip in mid air to dodge his opponent's attack, the Leaf genin sunk his feet in Gaara's back as he completed the three hundred and sixty degrees spin, sending the boy down towards the ground.

Taking the offensive, Naruto stopped the redhead's trip downward by graving one of his ankles and swinging the genin's body towards a tree, breaking the trunk as he flew through.

The Suna shinobi stretched his sand claws in order to stop his flight. Landing on a nearby branch, the monstrous genin glared at the blond. "It's that best you have?" The boy exclaimed. "Mother and I waited for you after hearing your call, but is this all you have to show for it?"

Naruto met the redhead's glare with his own. "I guess I'm putting quite a below average performance." The Konoha nin admitted. "I guess it'll be ok if I went a little wild…" The moment the words left his mouth, the blond disappeared from Gaara's sight just to reappear hovering over the Sand genin the next second and drive his knee into the deranged boy's stomach.

Even through the sand protection, Gaara could still feel the force from the blow his stomach received. His breath escaped his lungs and the Suna nin's head was brought forwards as his body recoiled due to the pain. Blinded because of the strike, the redhead could not see the fist traveling straight towards his face.

The punch's sound was heard throughout the forest as the Sand genin was thrown flying backwards by its force.

Moving at blinding speed, Naruto seemed to disappear again and reappear at the branch Gaara was traveling to. The blond swung his leg forward, driving his kick into the redhead's back, stopping the deranged boy's flying trip and causing him to release a scream of pain. The Leaf genin spun his body around and driving his heel into the Sand shinobi's gut, in a similar fashion to what Sasuke had done before, and sending his fellow Jinchuuriki flying down towards the ground.

The Sharingan user did not waste any time. The boy's hands immediately started on the already familiar set on handseals. "Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed before shooting a sizeable fireball down to chase the red head. The explosion signaled the impact.

Before the dust and flames could dissipate, a pair of sand claws shot from the cloud of wreckage with the blond Jinchuuriki as their target.

Jumping to higher branches, Naruto took out a kunai and slashed the pair of monstrous limps as the approached him.

The two arms seemly started to fall before the suddenly came back to life and reformed themselves before returning to their pursuit of the Konoha shinobi.

Naruto continued to dodge the two transformed limps until they finally retreated and grabbed a nearby branch in order to pull Gaara back up. "Heheheh… HAHAHAH!" The redhead started to snicker but it soon turned into an all out laugh. "That's more like it!" He declared. "Mother is starting to enjoy this fight!" The bloodlust in the Sand nin's eyes was evident as he looked at the blond. "Let's together make Mother happy!" The deranged boy shouted as he threw a piece of his sand body into the air. "Sabaku Ame!"

The barrage of sand lumps immediately started to fall down on the blond. The Sharingan user was put on the defensive once again as all his movements were strictly to evade the flurry of strikes raining down on him.

Branches and trunks were reduced to splinters as the onslaught of sand pierced through the trees as it sought the Leaf shinobi. "Damn it…" Naruto cursed, he never expected that he'd be forced to use it so soon into the battle. "Amaterasu!" The teenaged boy gazed at the sphere of sand above the trees where all the projectiles originated with his Sharingan eyes. The piece of sand was immediately overwhelmed by black flames that consumed it in a matter of moments, leaving nothing behind to prove that it existed.

Gaara looked up with a horror stricken face as his sand was reduced to nothing by the black flames. A piece of his Mother that had always protected him simply disappeared in front of the redhead's eyes as though it was never even there. "Bastard…" The words left the boy's lips like a ghostly whisper. "You bastard!" The Jinchuuriki's eyes set on the blond in front of him, yellow eyes blazing in fury as they burned into the Leaf genin.

The spiky haired boy hadn't felt such a strong killer intent since Itachi. Shifting his body slightly to the side, Naruto was able to hide the shaking in his hand.

"How dare you try to take Mother away from me?" The transformed Suna shinobi shouted as his killer intent kept on rising. "Mother is the only one important to me in this world! The only one that never deserted me and always remained by my side!" The words roared through the forest, making some of the people present cringe at the fury they held. "Mother is all I have!" Gaara declared.

Naruto remained silent for a couple of moments as his gaze regarded the redhead in front of him. "All you… have…?" The blond simply repeated.

Suddenly, a matching killer intent emanated from the Konoha nin as his eyes narrowed, forming a glare directed to the other Jinchuuriki. In less than a second, Naruto had moved in front of Gaara and drove his fist into the Sand genin's cheek sending him flying back once again. Two spiky haired clones appeared ready to receive the airborne boy.

Using his Sharingan, Sasuke could follow as the three identical Leaf genins trashed the deranged redhead around trees and branches. What surprised the raven haired boy the most was not his teammate's impressive physical strength, nor the blinding speed of his movements, but the look that the once smiling face held.

As much as Gaara's look carried dementia less than five minutes ago, Naruto's was now pure anger and disdain. Something that the Suna shinobi had said had made the former loudmouth snapped, sending the boy into a raging frenzy.

A powerful kick sent the transformed teenager flying through numerous tree trunks, finally stopping several feet away. "That _thing_ is not all you have…" The blonde's words were full of contempt. "You have siblings, you have a family, you were probably even able to meet your father!" Naruto closed his fist to try to stop the furious shaking. "So don't come here and tell me that that _thing_ inside you is all you have when you have pushed away everything else around you!" His teeth were gritting now and his voice was coming out strained due to the anger. "You had so much yet you still chose to become like this… You chose to be feared over than loved…" The Jinchuuriki's voice started to die out. "It's because of you… It's because of people like you that I had…" The teenage boy never finished the sentence as his hands suddenly went through the required handseals and another fireball was released in direction of the redhead.

The swiftness of the attack caught the redhead by surprise. Gaara could only bring his arms forward to protect himself as the flames engulfed his body. The impact of the fire jutsu was enough to send the Sand genin flying a few branches back.

"I really hate people like you…" Naruto declared as he glared at the deformed boy in front of him trying to stand back up. "People that thrive of the knowledge of being feared. You claim being alone in this world, but the truth is that you view yourself above all other!" Things that the blond thought he had under control were running wild now. "Locking yourself inside a barrier of sand and trying to sound like a victim… You don't know what real pain is, what it feels like to be betrayed by the few things you thought you had-"

"Shut up!" The redhead boy interrupted. His eyes set on the blond holding a mixture of anger and sorrow. "You don't know anything about me!" The Suna shinobi shot back. "You don't know all I had to go through and how, at the very end, Mother was the only one that remained by my side." The Jinchuuriki's voice came out strained as memories plague his mind.

"_This is it… Please die…"_

Suddenly, Gaara's killer intent returned full force. "Betrayal?" His strange yellow eyes glared at the blond. "Don't you dare speak to me about betrayal…!" Anger flooded out of the transformed boy as his breath started to come out strained. "I'll never… I'll never let anyone else betray me!" The Sand nin exclaimed before he thrust his arms forward.

Monstrous limbs shot towards the spiky haired boy, forcing him to jump from branch to branch in order to avoid their devastating rampage.

The hatred that had been harbored in the blonde's eyes had now transferred to the redhead's as he continued to tear through trees and branches. "I'll push everyone…! I'll push everyone away…! I won't allow them to get a chance to betray me again!" He declared before retreating his sand claws and the "mouths" appeared on his body again. "Mugen Sajin Daitoppa!" The powerful gust of wind and sand erupted from the Jinchuuriki's mouths.

Naruto immediately jumped behind a thick tree in order to escape the savage burst of dust that swept through the forest.

A sand claw went through the trunk that the blond was hiding behind, causing the Leaf nin to jump to another branch to escape the monstrous limb that followed him. "I'll destroy everyone in my path! I'll offer all of their blood to Mother and prove that I exist in this world!" Gaara announced in his crazed rage. "To prove that I was betrayed and that I will take my revenge on the world!" He exclaimed as his transformed arms continued to chase his opponent.

Without stopping his movements, the Konoha genin was able to set in eyes on the other Jinchuuriki. "I really can't forgive people like you…" He stated as he jumped to a new branch seconds before the one he had been standing on was destroyed by the pursuing claw. "Letting the rage and bloodlust consume you and turning into the demons they fear us to be…" The teenage boy added.

"Shut up!" The redhead shouted. "You don't know anything about me!" The speed of the sand claw suddenly increased, managing to grab a hold of the Sharingan user and slamming his body against a tree. Less than a second afterwards, the sand was already starting to cover his body. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you for the disrespect you have shown Mother and me!" Gaara declared as his eyes glared at the blond.

Despite his seemingly imminent death, the spiky haired boy merely continued to observe the Sand genin. "I meet a guy just a few months ago…" Naruto started. "He showed me a hell that now haunts my nightmare… But, I tried, and I'm still trying, to look past all the things I saw in that place." The Leaf shinobi revealed as his eyes narrowed. "And now I meet someone like you, who has given up and thrown himself into the depths of madness with foolish thoughts of retribution." A dark blue chakra started to emanate from the blonde's body. "It irks me to no end knowing that you have given up on the world so easily!" With the boy's outburst, the navy chakra burst, freeing the Sharingan user from the sand. "I really can't forgive you right now…" He said as he set his eyes on the redhead in front of him.

The two Jinchuurikis glared at each other before dashing off forward. Blows were exchanged in mid air.

* * *

– Flashback –

"You know, you really didn't have to accompany me shopping…"

A small, black haired boy looked up at the young woman next to him before answering. "Okaa-san is worried about you since you have been going out so much lately, so I offered to come with you." Four year-old Itachi simply stated.

Uchiha Kagome sighed as she looked at her cousin's oldest child. "You do know that I'm a jounin, right? If anyone is doing any babysitting, it's me looking after you." She tried to explain.

"Rank doesn't really matter, a well trained chuunin could sneak up on even a Kage if the target's unaware and alone." Itachi merely said as he continued to walk.

"Do you expect me to be attacked by a group chuunin in the middle of the village?" She asked.

The boy's eyes didn't even shift from the path ahead. "Please don't put words in my mouth, Kagome-neesan." Itachi shot back. "I said _a_ chuunin, not a group, besides, I've seen you sparing, if you're distracted enough, you won't even see a genin coming…"

To say the least, the young woman was bewildered by four year-old's statement. "Hey! I already told you that there was a specific reason why I did so poorly in that sparing match!" She tried to defend herself.

"Then, what is it?"

"I told you, I can't tell you right now, you're too young."

"For a Leaf kunoichi, you sure make a lot of excuses, it's not fitting…" The black haired boy commented.

Another sigh escaped Kagome, she should have known better than to get into an argument the Uchiha clan's resident genius. Uchiha Itachi will make a great shinobi someday, she was sure of it, but for now, he was nothing more than a know-it-all kid that could go against experienced adults in a myriad variety of discussions and still come out making them look silly. She had grown really close to the boy, especially after Obito's tragedy, but that terrible weapon of destruction he called his mind did put a strain in their relationship.

"Well, fancy meeting you here…"

Both Uchiha turned to look at the sudden interruption. Casually walking towards the two black haired relatives was one Namikaze Minato with, what had become a trademark for the blond man, a grin adorning his face. "Minato-san!" Kagome called out. **(A/N – See the ending note for explanation.)**

Itachi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the sudden excitement in his cousin's voice at the sight of the, already legendary, jounin.

"How are you on this fine day, Kagome-san?" The young man asked as he gave the black haired woman a small, courteous bow.

The giggle that escaped the young woman almost made Itachi kick her in the shin and make a run for it. One thing that the four year old boy really didn't want to see at the moment was his cousin acting all girly.

Minato's gaze lowered to set on younger Uchiha. "And what about you, Itachi-kun? Your name is coming up again and again as of lately, Fugaku-san and Mikoto-san must be really proud!" The blond man commented as he ruffled the boy's hair.

Itachi's glare immediately set on the man in front of him. It was certain that the four year-old Uchiha was incredibly mature for his age, he was well aware that most people were both amazed and annoyed by his intellect, he could deal with anything or anyone without losing his composure, anyone except Namikaze Minato. Something about the Konoha Yellow Flash always managed to get on the boy's nerves. Swiping his hand, the black haired kid pushed the man's hand away.

"Well, it seems that we still have the attitude problems to deal with…" Minato commented, unfazed by the young boy's actions. "I guess it's just normal for you to be jealous, after all, I'm already a renowned shinobi, while you're still a little kid with a kunai play set." He said as he straightened his body and stood proudly.

A snort escaped the four year-old. "Yeah, like I'm supposed to be envious of you. I've already heard about the _incident_ between your Hiraishin and the waterfall." The boy shook his head to add to the insult. "Seriously, it's just a matter of time before you find yourself falling in a volcano or something."

"Hey, watch it you brat! That only happened while Hiraishin no Jutsu was still on its development stages, and stop gossiping with Jiraiya-sensei!" Minato shot back, already falling into the boy's game.

"Oh, touched a sore spot, didn't we? And what was that about you blowing up the bulls' corral while practicing that spiral sphere of yours?" Itachi asked, his voice fully tainted by a mocking tone.

The blond man gave a small grunt. "Like I have to explain my genius to you…"

"Only a sorry shinobi would have such a sorry excuse." The black haired boy commented.

"Do you have something to say, you little punk?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. I want you to remain in that little throne of yours until I become a shinobi and beat you up myself!" The blond man and the black haired boy glared at each other intensively.

"I accept that challenge! Hurry up, I don't want to wait too long for the day that I can finally kick your as-!"

"Namikaze Minato!" Kagome suddenly interrupted the argument. "Are you really engaging in such childish fights against a four year-old?"

"And losing too…" Itachi added.

The young woman gave her cousin a warning look before her eyes set back on the Yellow Flash whose face had turned red out of embarrassment and his eyes looked at everything but Kagome. "He started it…" Was all that the man could say.

Kagome sighed in exasperation. "You've got to be kidding me…"

Itachi watched in curiosity as Minato tried to explain himself to his cousin. For some reason, it was while talking to the blond jounin, that Kagome seemed the happiest she had appeared ever since Obito's…

What was it about Namikaze Minato that could possibly bring such a smile to Uchiha Kagome's face?

– End Flashback –

* * *

A pair of onyx eyes opened to look at the rain falling into the ground. Uchiha Itachi stood in one of the entrances to the Akatsuki base pondering on his sudden remembrance. _"Why am I remembering something like that now?_" The young man thought.

As of late, Itachi's head had been plagued by his blond target and the events of the night of their meeting, the image of the blue Sharingan seared into black haired man's mind.

The Akatsuki member had tried a basic meditation exercise to try to clear his head when the old memory found its way into the surface.

Suddenly, realization hit him. _"Could it be…?"_

His train of thought was unfortunately cut of by the sound of approaching steps. Looking up, Itachi could see his blue skin companion walking towards him. "There you are…!" He said once he reached the black haired man. "I've be looking everywhere for you. The others told me that you got our new orders..." Kisame commented.

The Sharingan user nodded. "Yes..." He answered. "We are to go to Konoha once again…" The Uchiha added before simply walking into the rain.

The former Kiri nin follow his black haired companion. "Goody, I finally get chance to meet the kid that kick your ass a couple of months ago." He said.

Itachi remained silent at the swordsman's words.

"I really don't know if I should capture him or thank him." Kisame remarked, adding a chuckle for effect.

The Uchiha was able to keep himself in check as he continued to walk.

"I mean, the great Itachi being defeated, no humiliated, by a genin brat! When I heard about it I thought it was my birthday!" The shark-like man commented before starting to laugh. "HAHAH… I really wish I could have been there to see your face…" He managed to add between his laughter.

The Sharingan user didn't even stop nor did his voice carry any sign of frustration. "Keep it up…" He started. "And when you fall asleep I'll just take you down the pier and trade you for ten boxes of pocky, again." Itachi warned, earning a glare from the former Mist shinobi.

* * *

A tree came crashing down as the redhead's transformed body went through its trunk. Naruto stood panting on a branch as the Sand nin's body was completely engulfed by dust.

Scattered wood, burn marks, and craters laid throughout the forest as evidence of the fight between the two Jinchuuriki.

"What's going on…?" At the sound of a new voice at the scene, Kankuro turned around to see Temari landing on the branch he had been standing.

A sigh of relief escaped the puppet user at the sight of the blond girl. "Well, as you can see the scenario is getting worse by the second. Something about that guy is just irking Gaara further and further." He said before looking at his older sister skeptically. "…How come it took you so long to get here?" The brown haired boy asked.

Surprising Kankuro, a blush appeared on the Suna kunoichi. "None of your business!" She declared looking away from her brother. Shrugging his sister reaction off, the boy set his eyes back on the fight between the two apparent monsters.

Just like the blond had expected it, a sand claw appeared flying towards him. After jumping into a higher branch, the Leaf genin started to move in the direction of the deranged boy.

Gaara look up to see his opponent's foot about to connect with his face. Once again, the sand coat had been virtually useless in trying to block the pain.

Before the kick could send the redhead's body flying back. Naruto grabbed one of the transformed arms and swung the monstrous body, slamming the Suna genin into a tree. The spiky haired boy followed by delivering a devastating uppercut under Gaara's chin, causing his body to lift off from the ground.

Catching the rising body but the ankle, the Konoha shinobi slammed the redhead back into the ground before jumping into the air and starting on a set of handseals. "Enten Kawa no Jutsu!" He called out before a blast of heat shot towards Gaara's transformed body, an explosion followed.

The new cloud of dust and ruble was big enough to engulf some of the trees. Jumping to one of the highest branches, Naruto waited once more.

"Suna Shuriken!" The barrage of sand projectiles appeared through the cloud of dust, destroying several trees on their way out.

The blond genin jumped higher up as his hands went through the necessary seals. "Housekan no Jutsu!" a barrage of small fireballs met with the sand shuriken, cancelling each other out.

As Naruto's feet were about to touch a branch, one of redhead's transformed arms came crashing through, forcing the spiky haired boy to create a clone to change his direction in mid air. The moment when the Leaf shinobi was finally able to land, the pain that had been bothering him for the last few months suddenly shot through his body, paralyzing the boy just as the second claw approached.

Standing helplessly on a branch, the boy could do nothing to defend himself as the monstrous limb grabbed him by the arm and forcibly pulled him towards the source.

Naruto found himself looking directly at Gaara's eyes. In his desperation, the Konoha nin didn't think twice. "Tsukuyomi…"

Immediately, all the sand left the redhead's body. The Suna genin tried to move as terror invaded his face just to find himself unable to move. "What's going on?" The Jinchuuriki exclaimed. He was no longer in the Konoha forest, but in some sort of dark wasteland. "What have you done with Mother?"

Standing a couple of feet away, the blond simply glared at the redhead. "Your _Mother_ won't be able to manifest in here…" The genin stated. "This is a place where all of your sins come back to pass judgment…" A katana appeared between the two Jinchuuriki. "This is my world…" Naruto took a hold of the sword. "This is my hell…" He said before thrusting the blade forward.

Blue Sharingan eyes widened when the sword was stopped less than an inch from the Suna shinobi by the sand that had supposed to have disappeared.

A wicked smile appeared on Gaara's face as his body was covered by the sand once more, returning to the raccoon-like form. "I told you…" The redhead's voice carried an ominous yet mocking tone. "Mother will never desert me!"

Suddenly, Naruto was violently pushed back by an unseeing force as he found himself out of the Tsukuyomi mindscape. Finally stopping by hitting a tree, the blond felt a new pain coursing through his body, this time originating from his eyes. "Damn it… The scroll warned that this would happen if Tsukuyomi was rejected…" The boy whispered to himself as he clenched his head. "It must have been the One Tail's doing…" He commented, still trying to shake off the genjutsu's recoil.

"HAHAHA…!" Gaara's demented laugh sounded through the forest. "Was that your hell?" The redhead asked as his chakra started to spike. "Then allow me to bring mine out here!"

The blond could only watch dumbfound as sand suddenly skyrocketed from the Suna genin's body and took the form of a giant raccoon. The enormous monstrosity roared, causing several of the trees in the surrounding area to shake.

An massive claw started to move towards the still thunderstruck boy. "Naruto!" Sakura screamed as she saw that her teammate wasn't about to move.

At the sound of her voice, the monstrous creature shifted its eyes towards the girl. A piece of sand unexpectedly shot towards the pink haired kunoichi, catching her by surprise and slamming her body against a tree.

"Sakura!" Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Shino shouted at the same time.

The three boys immediately jumped towards the now unconscious girl. Reaching his former classmate first, Shino tried to get rid of the sand that was currently chocking her by using his bugs. To the genin's dismay, the Kikai Mushi could not digest the chakra in the sand.

"Can you get her out?" Shikamaru asked as he arrived.

Shino was about to answer his friend when suddenly the sand came back to life and trapped the two black haired boys. "Guys!" Sasuke exclaimed as his body got closer to his trapped comrades.

Managing to free one of his legs, Shikamaru kicked the incoming Uchiha away, saving the raven haired from been trapped by the sand.

Naruto realized that his body was now shaking, though not out of pain nor shock, but of pure anger and rage. "Damn you…" He said as he looked up at the enormous raccoon. "This fight is between the two of us! You didn't need to get them involved!" The blond shouted.

The monster's only reaction was to laugh at the Konoha nin's words before starting to reach for the boy again.

"You'll pay…" The Leaf genin couldn't hold back his rage anymore as the sand claw was almost over him. "I'm going to make you pay…" The navy blue chakra engulfed his body once more. "I'm going to make you pay for hurting them!" Naruto exclaimed as his hand automatically started on a set of handseals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

A giant cloud of smoke went off in the forest. "Naruto… You better have a damn good reason for summoning me…" Gamabunta commented as the smoke around his body started to dissipate.

"I'm sorry Gamabunta-sama…" The blond apologize as he stood on top of the Toad Boss' head, the dark blue chakra still emanating throughout his body. "But this guy just really got on my nerves…" The genin's voice had become low and quiet, yet it still held something powerful. "…And I just feel like knocking some sense into him."

The toad looked at the monstrous raccoon standing in front of him. "I see…" Gamabunta sighed as he put his pipe away. "But you owe me one…" He added as he unsheathed his sword and pointed its blade at the sand creature.

The monster brought its arm forward, both claws immediately shot towards the enormous toad. Jumping high in the sky, Gamabunta prepared to strike the sand creature down with his sword.

Looking up at the Toad Boss, the raccoon shoot a barrage of what appeared to be wind blasts. "Teppoudama no Jutsu!" The brownish amphibious countered, releasing several water bullets to intercept the incoming attack. Wind and water meet in mid air; the toad's technique managed to stop all the blasts but one. "Naruto!"

Hearing his cue, the blond prepared his own attack. "Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" the last wind projectile was taken cared of by the genin's fireball.

Landing on the other side of the raccoon, Gamabunta immediately shot forward with his sword ready.

At the last second, the monster turned around and brought one of its arm up to block the blade strike.

The Toad Boss immediately took the chance and moved his head up, given the boy that summoned him an opening. "Enten Kawa no Jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed, releasing another powerful blast of heat towards the raccoon's head.

Unfortunately for the team of toad and boy, the sand monster managed to bring its other arm up to shield himself, at the cost of the limb. "HAHAHAHAH!" A deformed version of Gaara's laughter was heard coming from the gigantic creature. "It's this how you were going to make me pay, Naruto-_kun_?" The redhead's voice mocked. "Renkuudan!" The Jinchuuriki exclaimed before releasing another set of air bullets.

Gamabunta immediately jumped back to evade the wind based attack. "I'm not really sure you're worth all the trouble, Naruto…" The amphibious commented as he brought his sword forward, just in case the sand creature launched a sudden attack.

"Please, Gamabunta-sama, just give me one more opening." The blond requested. The Toad Boss gave an exasperated sighed, but still charged forward.

Laughter was the deformed genin's first response. "That's it! Come on! Mother and I can't wait to spill all of you blood!" The boy exclaimed from somewhere inside the enormous creature.

Just like before, the sand monster block the incoming sword strike with its good arm, but this time, as the Jinchuuriki started to raise his other limb for the second strike, Gamabunta opted to turn his head towards the wounded arm. "Teppoudama!" He said before releasing a barrage of water balls, hardening sand that formed the extremity and causing it to break up, before he left the stage to the Konoha shinobi.

Set on taking full advantage of his second chance, the spiky haired boy wasted no time in forming the necessary handseals for another attack. "Enten Kawa no Jutsu!"

Acting on instinct, the monstrous creature stretched his body in order for his head to escape the blast, the Katon jutsu instead created a hole through the Jinchuuriki's chest.

Gaara screamed in pain from the attack. Immediately, the monster's tail moved on its own and went around its body to strike the toad.

Seeing the attack coming, the amphibious jumped back in the air. Once airborne, Gamabunta set his eyes down on the sand creature. To say the least, the Toad Boss was getting tried of the demented Jinchuuriki. "Naruto, I'm going to take the initiative for a bit…" He informed before releasing a stream of oil on the raccoon successfully distracting the creature and allowing the brownish toad to strike down with his sword, severing the remaining monstrous arm.

The victory was short lived. When Gamabunta looked up at his opponent, his eyes widened in surprise as the Jinchuuriki's deformed body suddenly opened and lunged forward to swallow the Toad Boss. Thinking quickly, the amphibious shook his head back, throwing the blond out of hamr's way as he continued to fight off the sand that was sand that was trying to engulf him.

"Gamabunta-sama!" Naruto shouted as he created a shadow clone in order to break his fall and jump towards the mass of sand that was currently Gaara. Before the Leaf genin could even take a kunai out, a new sand claw suddenly sprout from the mass and shot toward the blond, catching the boy in mid air and driving him straight into the ground.

Sapphire eyes slowly opened as Naruto found his body in the forest's, or what was left of it, ground while the sand engulfed his body. "Look…!" The redhead's voice came out, excited. Gazing around, the blonde's eyes soon set on what the Suna nin was referring to.

The sight of the unconscious Sakura, and the barely conscious, Shikamaru and Shino, being crushed by the sand that encased them, while a weakened Sasuke tried to use Housekan to free them, but failing due to the lack of chakra.

"They're all going to die soon…" Gaara announced. "And you can't do a thing about it…" The glee was evident in the Sand genin's voice. "I'm going to take them away from you and offer them to Mother!"

The sand was now covering most of the blonde's body by now. Naruto's eyes pleadingly gazed at his comrades, hoping for a miracle to happen and save them. _"I'm not strong enough to save them…" _The sand was already starting to cover genin's neck. _"It's just like that fox mask… I-I'm unable to protect the things that I-…"_ The sand was now reaching his face. _"I…I want to keep them safe… I wa-want to protect them, because…"_ Images of the few pleasant memories that the boy had had flooded into his mind. With sudden gasp, the Jinchuuriki realized how much most of those memories, he had shared with his comrades, no, with his friends mean. "I won't let you hurt them! Gaara!" Naruto declared, by now most of his face was already covered by sand. "Because… they are all I have!" The Sora Sharingan returned to the blonde's last visible eyes and set on the abomination over him. "Amaterasu!"

Taking most of the boy's remaining chakra, the black flames engulfed the gigantic mass of sand. "AAAHHH!" Gaara screamed as the flames spread through his deformed body. "Mother! Mother!" The monstrous creature backed away from the toad as the dark fire continued to consume his body.

"Naruto, are you ok?" Gamabunta asked as he looked down at the boy that was struggling to get up. "Take easy, it's over now…" The Toad Boss stated, knowing quite well the effects of the Amaterasu flames and what would be the sand Jinchuuriki's ultimate fate.

The blond shook his head. "No… I have one more…" The Konoha genins stated as he began to pull up his right sleeve and revealing a bandaged forearm.

Gamabunta's eyes widened at realization. "Are you sure you can pull it off?" The amphibious asked with concern.

Nodding, Naruto looked up at the enormous toad. "Yeah, but I'm going to need a lift…"

At the boy's words, the Toad Boss sighed and lowered one of his hands. "Ok… Get on…"

The Leaf nin proceeded to jump on the toad's palm. After stretching his arm back, Gamabunta shot the young Jinchuuriki towards the burning raccoon with all his strength.

"_I only have one shot at this…"_ Naruto thought as the tore the bandages in his arm to give view to a summoning tattoo. Smearing the mark with blood from one of his wounds and gathering his remaining chakra, the blond preformed the necessary handseals. "Namikaze – Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Just as Naruto was about to reach Gaara, both Jinchuuriki were swallowed up by a blinding light.

* * *

**A/N – To address the issue of about the Yondaime, I decided "What the hell" and just go with Minato's real name, having Uzumaki become a name that the Sandaime came up to protect Naruto, the main reason for that will be revealed later, and Namikaze been he actual one; maybe I'll go back to change Minato's name from Arashi and add the explanation in the previous chapters, but that will delay the next update.**

**Well, leaving the name issue behind, I'm much more please with this chapter than with the last one. There are a couple of things in here that hint about things to come, but that's all I'm going to say about that. Next chapter is going to be something special; two things are going to happen to Naruto that he hasn't experienced since his "meeting" with Itachi, hopefully it won't take me long to start working on it since I still have some motivation left. Thanks for reading.**


	16. Mourning Fire

**A/N – This was one of the chapter that really created problems for me. Two weeks after chapter 15 was started, this one had already been halfway done, but then, all the inspiration I had went the heck, and I was hit by the biggest block I've had since Proud Eyes, which was not improved by the fact that my computer gave up on me twice during that time. Well, excuse aside, this might just be the LAST CHAPTER that I write Author's Note, the explanation would be at the end. So now, here's the long awaited conclusion of the Chuunin Exam Arc.**

* * *

_**Mourning Fire**_

The Leaf nin proceeded to jump on the toad's palm. After stretching his arm back, Gamabunta shot the young Jinchuuriki towards the burning raccoon with all his strength.

"_I only have one shot at this…"_ Naruto thought as he tore the bandages in his arm to give view to a summoning tattoo. Smearing the mark with blood from one of his wounds and gathering his remaining chakra, the blond preformed the necessary handseals. "Namikaze – Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Just as Naruto was about to reach Gaara, both Jinchuuriki were swallowed up by a blinding light.

Gamabunta let out a sigh as he watched the lustrous flare. "Just like Minato…" The Toad Boss commented as he took his smoke pipe back out. Gamabunta could feel the summoning jutsu wearing off, the last thing that the enormous toad saw before returning to his world, was the gigantic body of sand starting to break down and dissolving as it fell into the ground.

Kankuro watched in shock and amazement as the light and the black flames faded away, leaving a cloud of dust in the middle of the clearing. "Gaara was… defeated…" The puppet user managed to say in utter bewilderment.

Down in the clearing, Gaara was equally surprised when he found himself standing back on the ground. His body was extremely weakened and his legs were about to give up at any moment, but, despite what the redhead had thought a couple of seconds before, he was still pretty much alive. "Why…? Why did you stop those flames…?" The Suna Jinchuuriki asked the boy standing in front of him as the blonde's image appeared through the dissipating dust.

Ragged breathing followed by a low laugh were the initial answers to Gaara's question. "I already told you… I can't forgive you right now…" Naruto answered as his Sharingan eyes set on the redhead's light blue ones. "The right thing to do is give you a chance to change; after all, everyone is supposed to deserve at least one, right?"

The inquiry was received by a scoff. "Supposedly, yeah…" Suddenly, the Sand genin's eyes narrowed. "But what makes you think I'll change, there's no way that you can make me betray Mother!"

"Stop calling him your 'Mother' already!" Naruto exclaimed as he brought up one of his hand to rub his temple. "I get all sorts of disturbing images when you call the Bijuu by that term…" The blond commented.

Anger resurfaced inside Gaara at the Konoha nin's words. "Shut up! You don't understand the bond between Mother and me! You don't understand anything!"

"Baka!" Naruto's outburst silenced the redhead. "It's you who doesn't understand. As carriers we are discriminated by others, I spent most of my life trying to change their views, trying to show that I wasn't some sort of demon to be feared and hated, yet you, by choosing that thing over anything else, prove their perception of us right!" The boy exclaimed as his Sharingan eyes narrowed on the Suna genin. "There's a world out there apart from the Bijuu, I know, this eyes have seen it, and I already used my chance to try to reach it…" Abruptly, Naruto's voice went quiet.

The Leaf shinobi's silent immediately caught Gaara's attention. "You failed?" The redhead wondered.

A dry laugh followed the question again. "I don't really know…" The blond admitted. "I ended up turning into someone who doesn't really know what he wants anymore." Naruto commented. "It's like I'm stuck in a crossroad without knowing where either path will take me…" The spiky haired boy let out another humorless laugh. "Funny isn't it, here I am trying to get my point across to you while I don't really know what it is myself." Naruto added before his eyes narrowed once again. "But what I do know is that I will protect my comrades and teammates no matter what, because they are all _I_ have…"

Gaara stood silently as he regarded his fellow Jinchuuriki and trying to match the glare he was receiving.

"You have a better shot than I did." The blond said as his glare weakened. "You have people that will stay by your side at any given time." Gaara was surprised when the other boy's gaze move up to look at Kankuro and Temari standing on the branches. "They've proven how much they truly worry about you…" The Leaf genin commented.

Gaara scoffed again. "Care for me?" He repeated. "All my life, I have known nothing but apathy and disdain from them!" The redhead stated as he glare at the blond Jinchuuriki.

Naruto appeared unfazed by the Sand nin's outburst. "Yet, they are still here…" The spiky haired boy simply said. "They could have left you behind at any point during our fight, but instead, they decided to remain here for you. It's just that you're too blind to see their worried faces."

At the blonde's words, Gaara couldn't help but force his neck to turn his head around so that he could look at his siblings.

Temari's hand gripped the part of her cloths that laid over her heart, while Kankuro's slight inclination forward of his body was enough for the redhead to know that the puppet user was about to come forward to his aid at anytime.

"You and your 'Mother' are the ones that are keeping them so far away." The sound of Naruto's voice snapped the Sand genin's attention back to the blond. "You have a real opportunity to change your ways." The Jinchuuriki stated. "I know how difficult the villagers in Suna must be, they're the same here in Konoha, but don't do it for them, instead do it for the people you care about and those that care about you, because _They_ are worth it…"

The redhead boy found no retort to the Leaf genin's words, not even Mother had an answer for him. "Heh… You're really something…" Gaara managed to let out after a while. "Maybe this is why I wanted to fight you so much? I guess I needed to find an enemy like you…" The Suna nin commented as he regarded the other Jinchuuriki.

Naruto simply shook his head at Gaara's words. "No, we are too similar to be enemies; at least that's what I hope." The blond stated. "You just need to work on your social skills…"

Something between a smirk and a smile appeared on the Sand shinobi's face. "For someone that tries to appear so cold, you really have a positive look of the world…" The redhead commented, he could already feel his body about to give up. Looking at the Konoha genin one more time, Gaara sighed. "…I wonder if I should feel jealous of you…" His vision faded into darkness.

Taking a step forward, the blond caught the Sand genin's body. "No, you shouldn't…" The Sharingan user said as he looked down at the unconscious redhead. "…I'm just looking up a well…" Naruto commented. Two soft sounds caught the blonde's attention, causing the spiky haired boy to look up.

Both, Kankuro and Temari, stood at the edge of the clearing regarding the two Jinchuuriki with caution.

Naruto's Sharingan eyes set on the two siblings. "I'd suggest you take Gaara and get out of the village before the ANBU find you, but if you're looking for a fight…" The Jinchuuriki's voice carried a menacing tone. "I have more than enough energy for the both of you." He added as his eyes narrowed, though he was silently trying to force his body not to give up.

"_We _both do…" Sasuke's voice announced as the raven haired boy landed next to the blond. "The others are safe… Shikamaru is taking Sakura back to the village already." The Uchiha informed his teammate.

Nodding at his teammate's words, the spiky haired boy turned to look at the Sand nins again, daring them to make a hostile move.

Taking a deep breath, Kankuro started to move forward, keeping his hands visible to the two Leaf genins. Standing in front of they guy that defeated his brother, the puppet user received a small nod of acknowledgment from the blond followed by his younger brother's body.

Not wasting any time, Kankuro and Temari jumped up on a tree and soon disappeared from view.

Letting out an exhausted sigh, Naruto had to use his own knees for support to prevent his body from falling to the ground.

"Nice tough guy image, I almost bought it for a second…" Sasuke's voice broke the silence in the clearing.

Snapping out of his trance, the blond looked up to find, to his surprise, his teammate's hand extended towards him. Letting out a small laugh while shaking his head, the spiky haired boy took the other Sharingan user's hand.

The raven haired boy swung his teammate's arm over his shoulder in order to support him better.

"You know, I can still walk by myself." Naruto commented as the two of them started on their way.

"Yeah right, you can barely stand, let alone walk. If I wanted to, I could just let you fall into the ground."

"And I could easily trip you right now."

"Either way you'll end up on the ground." Sasuke countered.

A smirk appeared on Naruto's face. "Yeah, but I believe I'd feel a lot better with you by my side…" The boy commented giving his _relative_ a small smirk and receiving one back. "Sasuke…" The blonde's face suddenly turned serious. "About my Sharingan-…"

"Save it…" The raven haired genin interrupted. "We can talk about it later." He added, keeping his eyes on their path.

The smirk returned to Naruto's face. "I was just going to say that mine is stronger than yours…" The genin stated.

A scoff escaped the Uchiha. "I doubt it…"

Naruto's smirk grew slightly. "I'm not kidding." The blond began once again. "I've seen what you can do with yours and it's just-…" Suddenly, the spiky haired boy when silent and his hand shot towards his chest.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked as he noticed the change on his teammate.

The Jinchuuriki gripped his shirt; this was just like what he had felt that morning before the exam. "Yeah, I'm alright…" The blond lied, because deep down, he knew that something terrible had just happened.

* * *

"Where's Naruto? Is he coming at all?" Sakura asked, unable to lift her eyes from the rain soaked floor. A couple of feet ahead of her, the last group of villagers were finishing paying their last respects to their fallen Hokage.

Managing to glance at the pink haired girl beside him for a few seconds, Sasuke eye's immediately shifted back to the grieving procession. "I don't know…" It took the boy a couple of moments to elaborate. "I haven't seen him much since… in fact, I haven't seen him at all since we found out…"

It still haunted the young Uchiha's mind, the memory from when he and his blond teammate had made it back to the village after their intense battle with Gaara.

They had been met by Shikamaru's father, apparently Sakura and the others had already been taken in to receive medical attention. Shikaku had tried to lay it on the two genins as gently as he possibly could, Sasuke now thanked him for that, but sill, when the moment came to reveal the terrible truth, the raven haired boy could clearly recall how his teammate had gone eerily quiet and still for well over a minute before giving some poor excuse and going off without receiving any treatment and before anyone could stop him.

Sasuke had gone against his usual nature and had tried to talk to Naruto during the couple of days after the events. Most of the times, he was sure that the blond was in the apartment, but had decided to ignore his knocks on the doors.

"I'm worried…" Sakura spoke again. "No one has seen him since that day… If he isn't even coming to the funeral, then he might be…!"

"He came before the ceremony started." The two genins looked at the source of the voice. Kakashi had suddenly appeared next to his students. "I saw him come by while I was here earlier…" The jounin's eye scanned the mourning congregation. "I guess he preferred to show his respect in private, I can relate to those feelings…" The silver haired man shared.

The raven haired boy nodded at his teacher's words. Silent engulfed the three Leaf nins for the next couple of seconds until Sasuke suddenly turned to face his sensei. "Wait… Are you telling me that you were actually here on time, but then you left just so that you could be late?" The boy asked the other Sharingan user.

The bored look on Kakashi's face didn't even waver. "You could say that…" The jounin answered simply.

The fact that they were in the middle of the ceremony to pay tribute to their fallen comrades was the only thing that kept the Uchiha from attacking his teacher. Shaking the violent ideas off, Sasuke turned back to the service.

* * *

"_So, Naruto, are you finally going to tell me what your dream is?"_

The flames started to consume their surroundings.

"_I'm going to be Hokage someday! You better take care of that hat, because someday it's going to be mine!"_

They simply engulfed all in their path, reducing everything to ashes.

"_You want to be Hokage because of the hat?"_

"_No, I want to become Hokage so that I can protect the whole village, that way, everyone would look up to be! Plus, I like the hat…"_

"_Heheheh…That's a nice dream, Naruto, but, why didn't you want to tell me?"_

The flames destroyed everything, except for the memories.

"_Because you kept asking for my 'dream', and becoming Hokage is my goal!"_

"_Heheheh…I almost believe you when you say it with such confidence…"_

"_What?! What do you mean 'almost'? I will become Hokage!"_

Why wouldn't those memories disappear? Why couldn't the flames get rid of them?

"_Never change, Naruto…No matter what may happen in this world, always retain your vibrant spirit and bright smile, remember that."_

Why wasn't he here anymore to catch him if he fell?

The flames continued to devour everything in their paths, except for the memories that seared the boy's heart.

* * *

No one felt like talking afterwards. It was as if all the villagers had come into an unspoken agreement as they started on their way home.

"He's stronger…" Sasuke's words cut through the silent.

Giving her teammate a curious look through her saddened eyes, Sakura waited for the raven haired boy to elaborate.

"Naruto…He…He has become stronger than me…"

Just as she was about to ask the Uchiha how he could possible think about something like that in a moment like this one, the pink haired kunoichi felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking back at her sensei, the girl understood the message he was trying to get through. In time likes these, people tend to want to talk about anything but the matter in front of them.

A light chuckle snapped Sakura out of her thoughts. Looking around, the girl was surprise to find the source. "Heheh…I remember a long time ago…" Sasuke started as his onyx colored eyes looked up. "The Sandaime told me that one of the hardest things to do for someone that was born talented was to find a suitable rival, someone who could become a goal to be reached…I think Naruto has become that for me…" The boy admitted.

Sakura wasn't sure what to make of the raven haired genin's words. One part of her was happy that Sasuke was opening up and sharing this with her, but the other was terrified of the prospect of her teammates fighting again, the memories from the Forrest of Death came rushing back into her mind.

"Sakura…" The pink haired girl was taken back when the Uchiha suddenly turned to look directly at her. "…Thank you…About warning me not to face Naruto…" Sasuke looked down at his hands before closing them into fists. "I'm not sure about what happened _last time_, but it's now clear to me that a fight between the two of us would have ended in my defeat…Or even worse-…" The raven haired boy left the sentence unfinished as he continued. "Both, Naruto and I, still have much maturing to do, we have many issues to solve before we finally meet each other across an arena, and until that day comes I will keep on moving forward so I'll be able to protect what I care about, just like Naruto did when he fought Gaara." The Sharingan eyes set on Sakura once again.

The kunoichi was taken back once again by her teammate's words, but before she could think of something so say, the Leaf genin continued.

"Sakura…" His onyx eyes gaze directly into her emerald ones. "Please…Don't ask me not to fight Naruto again." Sasuke stated, his eyes never wavered as he spoke.

The girl was perplexed by the raven haired boy's request, she struggle to find something that would change his mind, that would stop her teammates from fighting each other. Anything that she might have been able to say was silenced when the Uchiha placed a hand on her shoulder.

Sasuke tried to manage a comforting look to calm his teammate. "Naruto and I will fight someday…" He said. "But I promise you, that until then, we will still be Team 7, we will still all be friends." The boy's words came out in a quiet voice.

Hearing the sincerity in the Uchiha's words, all the girl could do was nod.

A small half-smile formed in Sasuke's lips. "I'll keep on training, just as I'm sure Naruto will. I don't know how long it would take or how we will be when it finally comes, so don't worry about it, we will still be here for you, ok?" The raven haired boy said as gave the girl's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

The Leaf kunoichi nodded in response before looking up and smiling herself.

Meeting the smile with another half, Sasuke removed his hand from the pink haired girl's shoulder before turning around and starting to walk away. "And who knows…" The Sharingan user stopped for a second. "Naruto and I might have to face each other for leadership of the Uchiha clan; maybe our fight would not be until then." He added before reassuming his walk back to the Uchiha compound.

Sakura pressed her hands against her heart. She still had many mixed feelings about the situation between her teammates, but for now, she could smile with the thought that maybe things were starting to finally improve. "…Sakura…?" The pink haired girl thoughts were cut off by the sound of her name. Turning around, she found herself facing her former teacher.

Iruka walked towards Team Seven carrying a worried look on his face.

"What's wrong…?" Sakura asked, realizing how foolish her question had sounded after all that had happened.

The chuunin seemed to struggle to find the correct words for what he needed to say. "It's about Naruto…" He finally said.

The mention of his altered student caught Kakashi's attention. "What happened?" Despite what he showed to his two other students, the jounin was really concerned about Naruto. After everything that had happened, the silver haired still had not been able to muster enough courage to face his blond student.

Iruka found himself struggling to answer the jounin too, he still couldn't help but think that Kakashi was partly to blame for what happened to Naruto a few months ago, it had broken his heart to find how broken the one radiant boy had been left.

* * *

– Flashback –

Despite telling himself that he only stopped there for his former student, Iruka had to admit that had come to thoroughly love Ichiraku Ramen.

Nearing the ramen bar, the chuunin was not surprise to find a familiar blond seating next to many empty bowls. It didn't take long for the chuunin's eyes to become aware of the lack of bright orange in the boy's clothing, as well as the sullen expression that should have been impossible with a bowl of ramen in such close proximity.

"Iruka-san…" The man turned at the sound of his name. The owner's daughter, Ayame if he wasn't mistaken, had approached him with a worried look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Iruka asked, sensing the young lady's distress.

The girl's eyes shifted momentarily to gaze at the blond boy at the other side of the bar before looking back at the chuunin. "It-It's Naruto…" She started. "He's been like this since he came, he simply sat down and ordered, he didn't made any of his usually conversation with Otou-san and me…" Ayame explained rapidly under her breath, trying to prevent Naruto to realize she was talking about him.

"Calm down…" Was the first thing Iruka managed to say. "I'm sure it's not that bad-…"

"All he said was 'Thank you' when Otou-san told him that the ramen was on the house…" The girl revealed.

Iruka's eyes widened at that piece of information. He could clearly recall all those days of detention where Naruto had spent hours talking about how much he liked ramen, the dish had become some sort of a solace in the cruel world that the young boy was forced to live in. While other people might dismiss it with the idea that the boy just wasn't in the mood for ramen, Iruka knew better.

Ayame took another glance at Naruto. "I'm worried about him, Iruka-san." She confessed. "This is the first time he came in over a month and he's like this, what if something happened during a mission and he-…"

"Please, Ayame-san, don't bother Iruka-sensei with such a trivial matter…"

The young lady yelped at the blond genin's words. Iruka's eyes traveled towards his former student to find him looking back at them from his seat. A gasp escaped the older shinobi as he realized how much the boy's eyes had changed.

Once vibrant and shining sapphire orbs had become dark and sullen. The smile that had taken shape in the boy's face was nothing but a pitiable shell of what it used to be. Iruka suddenly felt like the night had become darker at the thought of losing Naruto's smile.

"I'm sorry I can't stay and talk, Iruka-sensei, but it's late and I have training tomorrow." The genin suddenly said and begun to stand up. "See you later, Iruka-sensei." Naruto said, giving the older man a small, courteous bow. "Ichiraku-san, Ayame-san, goodnight…" He gave two more bows and another empty smile before turning around and walking off.

The chuunin was left speechless. "That's…That's what I was talking about…" Iruka registered Ayame's quite whisper. Not wasting anytime, the Leaf nin turned around and started off towards the one person that would know what had happened to the once energetic blond, he had never made such a short time to the Hokage's tower.

– End Flashback –

* * *

Iruka had been left shocked, saddened, enraged, and concerned after what the late Sandaime had revealed to him. Unfortunately, the only person he had for an outlet now was the silver haired nin. If it hadn't been for his complete disregard for his student, Naruto wouldn't have…

Realizing where the chuunin's train of thought was, Kakashi immediately look away. The jounin didn't want to be reminded of all the wrongs he had done during the past few weeks, the fact that he still had not found the strength to do anything about it did not help at all.

Reminding himself of the matter at hand, the brown haired man decided to disregard the silver haired jounin for now and turned to face Sakura again. "I was worried when he never showed up to the service." Iruka started to explain. "I asked around and it appears that he was seen going towards the training fields right before the ceremony started. I'm concerned about how he's dealing with this whole situation. Normally, I would go see him myself, but I-" The chuunin turned around.

Sakura followed the older man's gaze to the Sandaime's grandson, who stood at the other side of the walkway with a grief-filled face.

"I promised Asuma that I would walk Konohamaru home." The chuunin informed. "So, could you please check on him? Just to see how he's dealing with everything that has happened." The brown haired man requested.

The pink haired girl didn't hesitate to nod. "Of course, Iruka-sensei, in fact, I'm a little worried about him as well." She responded.

Iruka gave his former student as smile of gratitude. "Thank you, Sakura. Well, I better take Konohamaru back to his house now; please tell me if something happens with Naruto, OK?" He said and waited for the girl to nod in agreement before turning around and walking towards the grief-stricken boy, sending a glare in Kakashi's direction during the process.

"I'll be going home too…" The silver haired man suddenly said. Iruka had reminded him yet again of how unfit of a sensei he had been during the pass couple of months, how he had left two of the most important persons in his life, and how his student had ended up paying for his mistake; the jounin just felt like being alone to sulk. "See you later, Sakura…" He added, excusing himself before starting to walk away.

The young kunoichi couldn't help but think that her teacher's voice felt quiet and weak. "OK, Kakashi-sensei…" She said, not sure if he could hear her, but nevertheless she tried to keep any blame from her words, even if a part of her heart felt otherwise.

Shaking her head, Sakura turned around and set off towards the training field.

* * *

"We'll arrive there in a couple of days…" Kisame waited a could of seconds for a reply, receiving none, the former Mist nin continued. "News have already spread about the attack the village suffered at the hands of Sand and Sound…" Still, the retort was absent. "Like it takes some sort of genius to realize that this is all Orochimaru's doing, I mean, they even found the Kazekage's corpse already well into decomposition." He added.

The blue skinned shinobi waited yet again, but no matter how much time passed or how long they walked, his partner remained silent.

Sighing, Kisame looked to his side. Itachi Uchiha walk silently next to him with his eyes set on the road. "You've been really preoccupied as of late." The missing nin commented. "I'm not sure if I want to infiltrate Konoha while your mind is drifting somewhere else."

"You don't have to worry about that…" The Uchiha suddenly spoke for the first time in a couple of days. "I already have several plans for infiltrating and escaping the village." The former Leaf shinobi assured.

Kisame couldn't help but snort at his partner's words. "And here I thought we were just going to wing it." The Kiri said. "You know, Jiraiya is supposed to be in Konoha, what should we do about him?" The missing nin wondered as he looked at his partner again.

The black haired man's face showed no concern about the Legendary Sannin. "His presence in the village has been taken in consideration during the formulation of our mission." The Sharingan user stated. "We will act accordingly to what we need to do in order to accomplish our objective." He callously added.

A sigh escaped Kisame. "Just once, I wish that involved staying the night in a brothel to accomplish the task." He commented, before letting out a long yawn. "Anyways, I'll be fine as long as I get first row seat to the Uchiha family reunion." The man added as a grin appeared in his face and he glazed at his partner.

Itachi had already returned to absolute silence.

* * *

She moved as quietly as her genin skills would allow her. Sakura was so deep into the training area that she had no idea what field she was exactly in, whichever it was it would have to be near the edge of the forest.

After several minutes of searching around, the pink haired girl was finally able to catch a trace of her blond teammate's chakra and followed it deeper into the training fields.

Her uneasiness increased with every step she took. Apart from their interaction, or lack there of, in the Forrest of Death, she had not actually talked to Naruto since the boy's transformation. The kunoichi really didn't know what she was going to say once she was face to face with the blond, she didn't even know that she could expect to find once she got there, which, if the intense chakra in the surroundings was any indicator, was right about now. A gasp escaped Sakura once she stepped into the training field where the chakra had led her.

Black flames, that was all that she could think about. The terms kept resonating in her mind time and time again as she gazed around the clearing.

The flames that she had seen only twice in her life, once in the Forest of Death and the other during the wild fight against Gaara, both time it had been produce by… Naruto!

Her eyes immediately moved to the middle of a clearing were her teammate stood. There were no sobs, no shouts of anger, no gritting of teeth, there was only a low breathing as he stood rigidly before the black flames, observing them as they devoured all the surrounding trees.

Sakura took small steps towards the blond, slowly approaching him until she mustered enough courage. "Naruto…" The girl whispered.

The boy made no acknowledgment of her presence, but merely stood there, watching the dark flames overwhelm anything they touched and reducing it to ashes.

"Naruto." The pink haired girl tried again, this time with a little more confidence.

A small jerk of a hand and a slight shift between feet was prove enough that he was aware of her presence, but that was enough for her. "Is it over?" The question caught her off guard.

His voice was so low and void of emotions that she was left slightly startled and it took her a few moments to answer his question. "Ye-yes, it ended a little while ago…" The kunoichi managed to say.

Naruto went completely silent after that. The blond simply continued watching the flames burn the training field to the ground.

She couldn't take it anymore, how was it possible that, when one teammate was finally opening out, the other was shutting himself away? It was obvious to her how the blond was drowning in sorrow and yet he wouldn't even try to reach out for help, but instead sealed his emotions off and tried to bear the pain of loss by himself. Pushing her audacity to the limit, Sakura reached out and laid her hand on the spiky haired boy's shoulder.

It was a slow movement, but the action left the kunoichi astonished anyway. Moments after her hand touched the blonde's shoulder a silence overcame the clearing, but, suddenly, slowly but surely, her teammate started to turn around. When they finally came face to face, Sakura gazed at the boy in front of her as his head slowly descended until it was resting on her shoulder.

A skipped heartbeat was barely registered as she was left frozen by the impossibility of her situation. Sakura needed a few moments to recover, but she was finally able to regain control of her body and moved her arms to embrace the distraught blond in front of her into a comforting hug. She wanted to let him know that he wasn't alone. Yes, he had lost someone important, but he still had people that cared for him, she wanted him to be able to feel secure once again.

Suddenly, she felt water running down her shoulder. It had stop raining for a while now, nevertheless the pink haired girl glanced up at the sky, only to find the dissipating clouds starting to give way to the sun. The kunoichi's eyes widen as she looked to her side at grieving blond. _"Is he…?"_

"It's going to rain again…" Naruto's voice was just as even and stoic as before.

A small smile graced the girl's face. "Yes…" She agreed. "It seems that it will." The pink haired nin said as she tightened her hold on her teammate.

He was surprised that a smile found its way to his face so soon. Jiraiya sighed as he watched the two genin in the middle of the clearing before turning around and starting to walk away. Looking down, he regarded the scroll bestowed upon him merely a few hours before the catastrophe. "If you gave them to me, then I assume that you trust my judgment one when he should get it." The sannin's said as he continued to walk. "The brat still has some growing up to do, but…" He looked back at the clearing for a second. "I'm sure he'll get there." The white haired man commented. "I'm sure this generation will do just fine." Jiraiya stated as he looked up into the sky. "You can just rest now and don't worry about them, they'll live up to all of our expectations…I guess…That's because of your influence on them…" Another smile formed on his lips. "Thanks…Old geezer."

* * *

**A/N – Now, the reason why I said that this might be the last chapter where I'll put A/Ns it's simply because, fore everyone's interest (or at the very least my own amusement), I've decided to hand to job down to these two guys that are sure to make things a little more interesting, and now I leave the stage to them.**

**Itachi –** So now we're stuck with the end notes, great…  
**Kisame –** I can't believe Phoenixsun is forcing us to do this…  
**Itachi –** Force? I'm getting paid for this.  
**Kisame –** What?!  
**Itachi –** Yeah, Phoenixsun is well aware of my weakness for pocky, but, how did he get you?  
**Kisame –** …Blackmail…  
**Itachi –** Hmm…Can't say I wouldn't have done the same as him…  
**Kisame – **!!  
**Itachi – **Anyways, we'll be here at the end of every chapter.  
**Kisame –** And sometimes at the beginning.  
**Itachi –** To comment on what you just read,  
**Kisame –** Answer some of the recurring questions found in the reviews,  
**Itachi –** Pass messages from Phoenixsun,  
**Kisame –** And from time to time give sneak previews of future chapters.  
**Itachi –** As well to take any possible shot at Kisame.  
**Kisame –** Hey…! Well, you can think of us as an extreme version of Statler and Waldorf.  
**Itachi – **…Did you just compare us to Muppets…?  
**Kisame – **…Uh…Well…Anyways, we will be formally taking our duties beginning next…  
**Itachi –** ……  
**Kisame – **Ah…So…Yeah…We'll be leaving you with the title for PHD Chapter 17, Uh…Right, Itachi…?  
**Itachi –** …So, join us next time in The Power to Heal and Destroy Chapter 17 – Natural Enemies.  
**Kisame –** We'll see you then!  
**Itachi –** At least I will, I'm not too sure about Kisame.  
**Kisame –** What?! What do you mean?!  
**Itachi –** I'm just saying that, for the next couple of days, you should stay away from piers, ports, bait shops, or the market, just in case.


	17. Natural Enemies

**Kisame – **To those that ever doubted us, hah! We're back!

**Itachi –** I would like to apologize for the delay, Phoenixsun had some serious issues writing this chapter

**Kisame –** I'll say, there was writer's block, procrastination, writer's block, procrastination again, super writer's block, and writer's block to the 4th power, among other thigns.

**Itachi – **Anyway… We are glad to present you with PHD's Chapter 17.

**Kisame –** Now that the Chuunin Exam arc is over, finally! I might add, this is the "official" start of the new "arc", titled… Well, we actually don't have a name for it.

**Itachi – **(Sighs) Nevertheless, we now leave you with the next chapter of The Power to Heal and Destroy…

* * *

_**Natural Enemies**_

He had left his room as little as possible during the last week. One could count how many times he had actually gotten up from his bed with one hand and still have enough fingers to pick up a coin.

Still, his apartment had been far from silent for the most part. The rooms of the small home had been filled with noise from the knocks on his door, several times per day. His perception wasn't completely honed, but the genin could easily guess the orchestrators of those knocks. First it had been Sakura and she would return later that same day, but received no answer either time. The next day it was Iruka-sensei, he had stayed the longest by far, his knocks resonated through the apartment for hours. Sakura came back the day after, she remained an hour and even called out to him, but still he gave her no acknowledgment.

The fourth day came with a surprise. Early in the morning, the Jinchuuriki was awoken by knocks from the last person he expected to visit him. Sasuke came to his door at least five times that day, yet his attempts were as successful as the others'.

He received many visits during the following days, mostly from Sakura and Iruka, though some might have been from Shikamaru or Shino, the genin wasn't sure.

Yet, despite the eagerness from his friends to talk to him, Naruto had no desire of answering their calls. The blond has suddenly found himself in a new world, a world where the Sandaime Hokage existed no more, and the boy had no idea how to move forward in it.

So he remained silent, locked inside the apartment given to him by the Old-geezer. Even the fox had refrained from speaking and simply kept to himself during his host's mourning. **"This sorrow that you feel shows just how human you really are. Huh, I guess all those villagers were wrong…"** After that, Kyuubi too went silent.

Naruto knew he should not dwell on his sadness; he had helped Konoha fight back the invasion and protected his friends. He knew that the Sandaime would have been proud of him, but still, he could not get rid of the feelings that were consuming him.

Yet, among the sorrow brought forth by the passing of the Old-geezer, another feeling was emerging, anger. The Jinchuuriki's sadness had been accompanied by a growing rage, rage towards himself.

On that rainy day he had shown weakness, he had revealed just how fragile he still is when he crumbled in front of Sakura. The mere memory of his failure infuriated him.

He was supposed to have changed, he was supposed to have become stronger, and he was supposed to be above the pain already. Yet, he still sought comfort in his teammate, he still required a shoulder to cry on, he still needed someone to tell him that everything will be ok. His own existence disgusted him.

So the Jinchuuriki hid, secluded himself inside his apartment and let the world go on by itself.

Suddenly, an excessively loud knock snapped the blond out of his thoughts.

"Naruto, open up!" Kiba's voice sounded throughout the apartment as the knocks sped up.

The Jinchuuriki was surprised, he had never expected Kiba of all people to come looking for him, yet the blond had little time to analyze the situation when another voice joined in. "Yeah! Come on, open the door!" Chouji's call was accompanied with a much louder knock due to the boy's physical strength.

"Do you have any idea how much you're worrying everyone by isolating yourself in here?" Naruto heard Shikamaru's voice saying. "Don't be so troublesome and just open up."

"Naruto-kun, I do not know what you are trying to accomplish here, but I promised Hinata-chan that I would not leave until I personally made sure that you are ok." Shino's borderline cynical voice added in.

A small chuckled was suddenly heard. "Come on, Naruto-kun." The blonde's eyes immediately widened, that voice sounded so similar to… "Your friends have come here because they are worried about you." Sarutobi Asuma said; it had taken some time for the Jinchuuriki to truly recognize the owner of the voice.

By now, Naruto was beyond surprise and awe, he could have never imagined that such a large party would arrive at his doorstep for his sake. It took all of his self-control not to go running to the door.

The knocks continued to bang on the door. "Come on Naruto, Ino won't get off my case if I can't at least get you to open this door." Shikamaru's voice commented.

"We're here because Asuma-sensei decided to take all of the guys out for food, we can't get going unless you come alone and I am already really hungry!" Chouji's voice whined.

Naruto could practically see four pairs of eyes on the other side of the door rolling at the brown haired boy's comment.

"We were going to get Sasuke-kun, but it seems he heard Kiba-kun coming and hid from us…" Shino calmly informed.

"Hey! Stop saying it was my fault!" Kiba defended himself, immediately being backed up my Akamaru's bark. "Anyways, we missed Sasuke so like hell we're going to let you off the hook, Naruto!" The Inuzuka proclaimed.

"Come on, Naruto!"

"Open the door!"

"Come on!"

Ulterior motives aside, the Jinchuuriki was tremendously moved the simple fact that they were there for him, so it took all of his concentration to block their voices out. "Naruto-kun…" Shino's voice manages to sneak in. "I do not know if you have already become aware that all of this idle chatter is nothing but a distraction, I could have open this door any time I wanted." At this the blonde's eyes widened.

"We just needed to distract you until all measures were made to ensure that you will not run away." Shikamaru explained. Immediately, Naruto stood from his bed just to find himself extremely weakened. Looking down, the blond realized that his body was already covered by the Aburame's bugs. Still, the genin forced his body to stand up, remaining vertical for merely a couple of second before his legs gave up on him and his body fell on the floor with a thud. "Ok, Shino, open it now."

The Jinchuuriki never stood a chance, the moment after he heard his apartment's door swung open, he saw the Nara's shadow swiftly traveling towards him and connecting with his, immobilizing the genin. Five minutes later, Naruto was being drag across town by the group of shinobi.

* * *

A soft knock graced the room. "Come in…" The boy seating in his bed by the window answered.

Opening the door carefully, Hinata walked into the hospital room. "How are you feeling today, Neji-nii-san?" The girl asked as she placed the food she had brought with her on the table.

A small smile appeared on Neji's face. "I'm doing pretty well, all things considered…" The boy responded as his eyes momentarily glanced at the second bed in the room before returning to his cousin. "But, Hinata-sama, you don't have to trouble yourself with coming to visit me so often."

The blue haired girl continued setting up the food as she smiled cheerfully. "It is not any trouble, Neji-nii-san." She replied happily.

In truth, despite the recent tragic events that have occurred in Konoha, Hinata was really happy. On that fateful day, the tension caused by the duel between Naruto and Neji caused her to passed out, it was not until she regained consciousness, after the whole ordeal was over, that Kiba had told her what had happened.

Her teammate affirmed that, through his chakra-enhanced senses, he had heard Naruto informing Neji that he was fighting him for her. That alone was enough to give her an unwavering reason to smile, but then Kiba continued his retelling.

According to the Inuzuka boy, while he was taking her unconscious form back to her house, under Kurenai-sensei's orders, Neji had suddenly appeared to save them from the Oto-nins that were chasing them, and Kiba was willing to bet that Naruto had something to do with her cousin's amazing turnaround.

Now, her relationship with Neji had never been better. She would to visit him at the hospital almost everyday after her father insisted that his nephew was to remain there for observation. It had been a little awkward at first, and then Neji would not stop apologizing, but now it was easy to simply seat by his hospital bed and just talk for hours. They would discuss topics ranging from trainings to missions to the reconstruction efforts, they even talk about village gossip and she was surprised to find out how well informed her cousin was. "Gai-sensei talks loudly…" A blushing Neji had said to defend himself.

The only regrettable part of the Hyuga heiress' days were the talks she had heard around the village about Naruto, it simply infuriated her, which was not an easy prowess, just how the villagers simplemindedly view him. To aggravate things, her teammates had told her how Naruto had secluded himself in his apartment and would not answer anyone's calls, not even Iruka-sensei's or Sakura's. Fortunately, Shino had assured her that him and the others would get him to come out of isolation.

"Hinata-sama…" Neji's voice snapped the kunoichi out of her thoughts. "I know that I have said this before but… I just want to tell you once more how sorry I-…"

"Neji-nii-san, please stop." The girl interrupted, pleased with herself for having mustered the courage to do so. "You do not need to apologize." She informed him. "I have already forgiven you since the beginning."

The simple look on his cousin's eyes was enough to move the Hyuga prodigy. "But I-" Neji unsuccessfully tried to talk. Unable to stand the look on those pale eyes, the black haired boy look down at this hands.

Suddenly, Hinata reached out and took one of the boy's hands into hers; it took all of Neji's self-control not to jolt in surprise at the action. Looking up, the older Hyuga was once again caught by his cousin's eyes that were now filled with a mix of kindness, honesty, and strength. "You are my cousin." The girl begun, her voice filled with determination. "No matter what you did nor what you do, I will always forgive you." She explained calmly. "So, if you are really sorry for what you did, please stop repeating yourself, it does not suit you, Neji-nii-san." She emphasized the end by squeezing his hand.

A small chuckle escaped Neji's lips, in all honesty Hinata found the sound odd. "There is no way for me to defeat you right now, is there?" He asked with his newly found tone of amusement.

The kunoichi giggled at her cousin's statement. "Nope" She answered sweetly. "You have to go through really desensitizing training for that." She added with a smile.

The two cousins shared a heartfelt laugh, the first one in many years.

"So, how come they changed your room?" Hinata ask as she handed the food she had brought to the boy.

A sigh escaped Neji's lip. "That's the thing…" He began. "I'm now sharin-"

"YOSH!"

The door abruptly opened, in its threshold stood one Rock Lee, smiling brightly as he supported his body on a crutch. "Oh, Hinata-san, long time no see!" The outgoing genin exclaimed as he gave the girl one of his patented shiny smile. "Neji-kun is not giving you any trouble, is he?" He asked as he looked from the girl to his teammate. "Because, even though I'm in crutches, I will defend you from your cousin with all of the burning passion of my youthful flame!" Lee proclaimed.

Another sigh escaped the older Hyuga. "It seems that when Hiashi-sama found out that one of my teammate was receiving treatment in this hospital, he thought that it would be good for our teamwork if we shared a room." Neji said in a defeated tone, though the young prodigy was sure there was a certain Head of the Hyuga clan, seating in his lounge, that was laughing his head off right about now.

"We were really lucky, were we not, Neji-kun? We have to thank your uncle for this." Lee said, completely oblivious of his teammate's dismay. "We need to rekindle our friendship and build up an even more powerful flame of youth!"

Knowing that he might regret the answer, the older Hyuga felt obligated to ask. "What are you talking about, Lee?" Neji questioned warily.

The taijutsu user moved to seat on his bed before answering. "Ever since we were assigned to become teammates, I always felt that you were a little distant from Tenten and me, always going by yourself and keeping us at bay." Lee began to explain. "At one point I even thought that you did not want to be my friend, that you were just annoyed by my presence." He commented, completely unaware of how close to the truth he had gotten. "Well, it seems that, after your fight with Naruto-kun, you have become more open and begun to let other in, do you not thing so, Hinata-san?" The boy asked looking at the younger Hyuga.

The blue haired girl was surprised by eccentric boy's words. She looked from Neji to Lee and back before lighting the room with a smile. "Yes, I think so too." She answered.

"See!" Lee immediately exclaimed. "So now that you have changed, for the better if you ask me, we need to work on our new and improved bond of friendship!" The boy proclaimed, giving his teammate his own patented 'Nice-Guy Pose'.

Neji sighed again and rolled his eyes while Hinata giggled at the eccentric genin's antics.

Still oblivious to the others' response to his action, Lee continued. "Also, after we get discharged from here, we have to go and get Naruto-kun, because he too will become a part of the most youthful flame of youth that this village has ever seen!" He declared as he suddenly stood up. "I'm going to call Gai-sensei and ask him to get matching jumpsuits for you and Naruto-kun!" The boy said before swiftly exiting the room.

"No, Lee, wait!" Neji called out; unfortunately his teammate was too fast, even in crutches, and he was already well out of earshot. "I'm going to live to regret these events…" The boy commented as Hinata lost control of her giggling, given birth to all out laughter.

* * *

The boy was slightly embarrassed of his actions. The moment he had heard Kiba screaming about their mission to capture the guys from Team 7, he immediately dropped his training and hid, even after they were out of earshot he had decided it was best to remain out of sight a while more. Two hours later, Sasuke finally felt it was safe to come out.

The Uchiha sighed. It wasn't that he did not want to be bothered by his comrades, it was simply that a class congregation was too much too soon for him. He had no idea how he should act on such occasions with such company.

To put it simply, the Sharingan user was socially challenged.

In truth, ever since he was a little kid, the raven haired boy had been all alone. From recess at the Academy to holidays, for days on end, ever since that fateful night Sasuke had always been by himself. _"But maybe… Maybe I don't have to be alone anymore."_ The boy thought.

Like the rest of the spectators, Sasuke had been extremely shocked during Naruto's fight against Neji, though compared to him the villagers might as well have been just mildly surprised, but after the initial shock had subsided, which he would admit had not happened until the battle against Gaara, the boy began to think.

For far too long the Uchiha compound had been deserted, with only him as its sole inhabitant, but now that might change.

After he had a chance to reflect about his teammate's revelation, Sasuke had decided that the only possible explanation was that Naruto had his clan's blood running through his veins. "I'm not the last Uchiha in Konoha anymore…" The raven haired boy whispered.

He could still remember the myriad of feelings he had felt the moment he laid eyes on Naruto's blue and white Sharingan, he would not lie and say he wasn't scared, but happiness and excitement were also in the mix, even when the blond displayed a technique that was too eerily similar to what Itachi had…

Properly putting his training gear away this time, Sasuke considered his next plan of action. True, Naruto's Sharingan was different from his, unlike any he had ever seen actually, in both form and abilities, but the simply fact of it being the clan's Kekkei Genkai was more than enough to consider the idea of Naruto being an Uchiha. _"Well, Otou-san did say that the Sharingan was the proof of an Uchiha…"_ The genin rationalized.

The boy prepared himself mentally, what he was about to do would be embarrassing and awkward in so many different levels, but, for the sake of the Uchiha clan, it was necessary. Well, the fact that he really did not want to be all by himself anymore was an added incentive, but he was really doing it for the clan's future, at least that would be the reason he would give the Shinobi Bureau Office when he ask them for an Address Change Form for Konoha nins.

Changing out of his training attire, Sasuke took a deep breath. He was about to put himself in a tremendously vulnerable situation, he was betting his pride, and going all out with it, on the chance that his teammate still regarded him as a friend. The idea of possible embarrassment made him a little wary of the situation, but the chance of another member of the Uchiha clan brought a smile to his face.

Giving a small bow to the picture of his parents, the raven haired genin exited the house. He hadn't realized while he was training, or while he was… hiding, but it was a bright and sunny in Konoha this afternoon. "It seems this is going to by a nice day." Sasuke commented.

* * *

Finally reaching an area that wasn't under reconstruction, Naruto came to the decision that there was no way to fight off the small smile that adorned his face.

While it might have been true that he was dragged out of his apartment by force, nothing short of kidnapping, the blond found himself admitting that he had spent an enjoyable time, the best he had in a very long time. Asuma had taken the guys to eat steak, at Chouji's request of course, and the group of genin passed the time taking shots at each other, Kiba having become the main character and being picked apart by his comrades while his dog laughed at his angry outburst.

There had only been a single regrettable aspect during their lunch. All along during their time in the restaurant, the blond had been the object of glares and sneers. Most of the other costumers, not to say all since the Jinchuuriki did not want to generalize, had decided to not enjoy their own food, and instead focus their efforts in loathing him.

Naruto wasn't as stupid as he once appeared to be, he had been aware of the consequence of his unveiling of the Sora Sharingan to the public, yet actually hearing their contempt filled comments had been hard on the genin, it had reminded him of a time when all that he could do was run and keep on running.

The blonde's smile grew slightly. He could now fondly recall how, after some villager had made an intolerably cruel comment about how the Jinchuuriki's blue Sharingan was a stain in the prideful mantle of Konoha that was the Uchiha clan, that it was a proof that the boy was an abomination and he should had never been born. If the ranting man had wanted to say something else, Naruto would never know, because a second later Akamaru had lunge himself towards him, biting the man hard in the arm.

The man screamed in pain and flailed his arm trying to shake the infuriated dog, only urging the animal to bite down harder, while Kiba had suddenly found the leaves outside of the restaurant tremendously interesting.

At that moment, the man's two companions had made a movement to stand out before they suddenly froze. Originally, the blond had thought that the two men had been caught by Shikamaru's Kage Mane no Jutsu, since the Nara was glaring at the group almost as hatefully as they were doing moments ago.

That's when Naruto realized that the men's immobility was caused by Chouji. The Akimichi had by then stood up and, for some reason, seemed imposingly sized, completely halting the men's movements.

Before the scene could escalate to a volatile level, it came to an abrupt end.

* * *

– Flashback –

"Somebody, get this beast off of me!" The man screamed as he tried to force Akamaru's mouth open.

Back in the genins' table, Kiba had finally become disinterested with the leaves and was in the process of standing up while closing and opening his suddenly clawed hand, as though he were warming up for something.

"That is enough, Akamaru-kun…" Shino said, surprising his comrades by appearing at the men's table out of the sudden. The black haired boy proceeded on patting the assaulting dog on the head, causing him to release the offending man's arm at last.

Immediately, the man pulled back as he clutched his arm in pain. "That miserable beast! I'll tell the authorities about this!" He declared.

The Aburame slowly moved his gaze towards the man. "About what, exactly?" The genin questioned. "I am not aware that anything has happened here…" The boy commented as he pushed his sunglasses up. "And besides, we have five other Leaf shinobi, one of them being a jounin, seating right in this restaurant, and I am sure none of them saw anything either."

The three men looked at the boy in bafflement, occasionally stealing glances at the table from where Asuma was giving them an ominous smile.

"So I think it will be better if you just leave this place now…" Shino commented as he turned around, walking back towards his seat.

It took the men all of four seconds to regain control of their bodies and take off running from the restaurant.

Just as he arrived at his seat, Shino turned around. "I am sorry for the scene, please go back to enjoy your day." The boy said addressing the others in the restaurants. Looking directly at the restaurant's owner, he proceeded. "We will pay for whatever they ordered." The Aburame informed him before regaining his seat.

Silence overtook the genins' table, it seemed that none of them could remember what their conversation was before everything started. Suddenly, the silence was broken by the roaring laugh of one Naruto Uzumaki.

As the others joined in, the blond realized that he had not laughed like this in the longest time.

– End Flashback –

* * *

Sighing, the Jinchuuriki sat down on a bench. Not since before his meeting with Uchiha Itachi had Naruto felt he had a place he belonged to like he did today.

The boy relaxed in his seat as he took in the scenery of the area. He was glad that the place had survived the invasion because it was nothing short of beautiful, surrounded by trees and with a small canal flowing thought it, it was a great place to be along with your thoughts. "At least I'm outside…" The Jinchuuriki commented, half expecting his friends to suddenly come out from behind the bushes and drag him to a more populated area. Taking a deep breath, the boy allowed his eyes to close.

Suddenly, something changed in the area and an ominous feeling took over the blond. Acting out of instinct, the Leaf genin jumped from his seat.

Not a second had gone by before the bench had abruptly turned to dust in a sizeable explosion.

Landing on the other side of the canal, Naruto started to look at his surroundings. A terribly monstrous chakra had suddenly overflowed the area. _"How did I not sense it before?"_ The boy though as he took out a kunai and frantically continued his search.

"Suiton Suigadan!" All of a sudden, several twisters made out of water rushed up from the canal and came crashing down on the blond, leaving the young shinobi no choice but to jump back to avoid that attack.

The Jinchuuriki immediately took a fighting stance the moment his feet got back to the ground while the Sora Sharingan took its place in his eyes.

"Hahah! So it's true, you do have Uchiha blood running through your veins!" A voice was heard throughout the area. Before the blond could search from its source, mist started to come out of the water in the canal.

Naruto's Sharingan eyes noticed a tall, imposing figure suddenly appearing among the mist as the chakra that had infected the area spiked and intensified.

Whatever had appeared in the middle of the canal took a couple of steps forwards. "So you are Naruto, uh?" It was obviously a man, and from his silhouette he was apparently carrying a sword on his back. "Let me introduce myself." He added. "I'm Hoshigaki Kisame, formerly known as the Monster of the Hidden Mist."

To emphasize his introduction, the man spiked his chakra once more, blowing away the mist in the area, and revealing his appearance. Naruto's eyes widened, the man was probably the tallest person he had ever seen, but that was far from the most striking feature, as the man standing before had blue skin and what looked like gills below his eyes. Fighting off the initial shock, the blond also took notice of the scratched Kiri headband and the red cloud pattern on his black cloak. "You are with… Itachi…"

A smirk formed on the missing nin's face. "Oh, so you noticed…" He commented while taking his bandaged sword from his back and pointing at the boy with it. "That means I don't have to tell you why I'm here…" The swordsman said before he suddenly disappeared.

Letting his instincts take over again, Naruto jumped, barely evading a vicious strike from the former Kiri shinobi that crushed the ground he had been standing on. Not wasting anytime, the blond began a set of hand seals. "Goukakyu no Jutsu!" He shouted before releasing a massive fireball towards the blue haired man.

"Suigadan!" The swordsman exclaimed, hands moving so fast that the blonde's Sharingan could barely make out the seals, while his smirk reformed on his face. A new set of spinning water projectiles shot from the water towards the fireball, extinguishing the flames like it was nothing, and continuing towards the genin.

Swiftly, the Jinchuuriki's hands worked their way through another set of hand seals. "Kakougan Kangoku no Jutsu!" He called out right before an enormous granite wall rose between him and the crushing water missiles, successfully shielding the boy before crumbling down.

Kisame set his eyes on the Jinchuuriki in front of him, the smirk widening. "Not bad, not bad." He started. "No wonder you were able to survive Zabuza, but I'm nowhere near as nice as him!" He declared before forming another set of seals at even higher speed. "Suikoudan no Jutsu!"

Immediately, a shark formed from the water in the canal and shot towards the Leaf nin. The blond started to make hand seals and hoped for the best. "Suigadan!" The water projectiles surged from the water, shredding the shark apart.

Before the genin could take a breath of relief, his Sharingan caught the absence of the blue haired man. "Very good! You are acting like a true Sharingan user!" The boy heard from behind. A second later a sickening blow made impact with his back, causing several cuts.

"What the hell was that…?" Naruto questioned as he pushed his body of the ground, he could feel his blood starting to run down his back.

"Hahah!" The laugh directed the blonde's attention back to the swordsman. Kisame brought his sword forward and removed some of the bandages. "Let me present you Samehada!" The man announced as he revealed how the blade of his weapon was covered by large, blue scales. "This sword is meant to reduce its opponent to shred instead of simply cutting…" The smirk found his way bad. "Though that's not all…" He added before disappearing again.

The Konoha genin didn't have time to do anything as the missing nin appeared in front of him and Samehada came down over his body. Kisame was mildly surprised when the boy turned into a cloud of smoke. "Housekan no Jutsu!" The barrage of small fireballs seemed to come from every direction as they hit the former Mist shinobi.

Panting, Naruto dropped down from one of the trees. "That was really something, kid…" Kisame's voice sounded from the cloud of dust and smoke. "I never even saw when you made the clone." He commented as he brought his sword down, dissipating the dust in the process. "You are everything I hoped you would be. I'm having a lot of fun." The cloaked man stated with another smirk.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" The blond called out. Immediately, a large number of Narutos rained down on the blue haired man.

Swinging Samehada with force, the swordsman reduced all the clones to dust. "Hahahah! Come on, show me what else you got!" The man dared the boy.

Gritting his teeth, the blond jumped back as his eyes focused on his opponent. "Amaterasu!" He exclaimed.

Black flames immediately overwhelmed the area in front of the Jinchuuriki, completely encasing the blue haired man in a terrible inferno. As the continued to pant, Naruto watched the flames causing the missing nin to collapse to his knees. The relief was short leaved as the swordsman's body turned into water.

"Come on, give me a little more credit, Itachi is my partner after all, do you think that I will be taken down by the same technique he uses?" Terror filled the young shinobi's eyes as he turned around just in time to see Samehada crash down on the back of his shoulder and push his body to the floor.

Naruto tried to push his body off the ground, but the strength with which Kisame was holding his sword was too much for the boy to even move. _"No… It's not only that…"_ The blond thought. _"My body… It feels heavy for some reason… Almost as if my chakra is diminishing…"_

"Heheheh…" The small chuckle caught the Jinchuuriki's attention. "It seems that you are experiencing Samehada's other ability." Kisame commented as he pushed his sword down with more force, driving its scales deeper into the genin's back. "My sword is an awfully vicious predator. Apart from massacring its victim, it does so while eating away at his chakra, and growing stronger with each bite." The man explained.

From the floor, the Leaf nin's eyes widened even further in horror, understanding clearly the implications of the swordsman's words.

Smirking at his prey's reaction, the former Mist shinobi continued. "I know your type, brat…" He emphasized it by pushing further down. "Since you have an abnormally large supply of chakra, you tend to make up for the lack of precision of your attacks by adding an extract kick in their destructive power." The man chuckled before proceeding. "And there's really nothing wrong with that, I prefer such tactics myself, but once in a while, you find someone fully equipped to counter it…"

As he panted, the blond tried to move his head in order to get the attacking missing nin in his line of sight while he talked.

Realizing the boy's intentions, Kisame paced his foot over the young shinobi's head and pressed down hard into the ground. "Ever since this whole thing started, Samehada has been preying away at your chakra, that's why you have been panting for sometime now." A laugh followed the nukenin's words. "You see, I'm the most well suited to take you down! I have the ability to cancel out all of your strengths!"

Naruto could barely see pass his aggressor's foot, but he could still discern the prideful, wicked smile on the swordsman's face.

"We are two opposing forces, you and I…" Kisame commented. "You could even say that we are natural enemies." The said, pressing his sword even harder on the Jinchuuriki's back.

* * *

Leaf and twigs crushed as he walked. Jiraiya found himself somewhere deep in the training grounds. "Man, I haven't been around these parts in a really long time…" The sannin said as he leaned against a large tree. "At least all those prunes from the council won't find me here and make me work!" He happily commented. "So, why have you asked me to such a remote place?" The white haired man asked as he sat down on one of the exposed roots.

The faint sound of approaching steps could be heard from behind the tree. "They have begun to move once more…" A voice spoke. "Han of Iwagakure was confronted sometime yesterday, I belief it is a matter of time before they capture him along with the Gobi he carries.

Jiraiya leaned further on the tree as he looked up at the falling leaves. "I don't suspect that you're just making this out because you're bored, are you?" Silence was his only response. "What else can you tell me…?"

"They are now actively searching for any signs of the others." The person behind the tree answered. "I would guess the Jinchuuriki in Kumogakure are the safest at the moment, since they have their village's full support and protection." The hidden man commented.

A sigh escaped the Leaf shinobi. "That's true, I wish I could say the same thing about Naruto and this village, especially right now." A snorted laugh escaped the sannin. "Did you heard what happened during the Chuunin Exam? I tell you that boy leaves his father in the dust when it comes to making an impression." He amusingly commented.

"His… Father?" The voice questioned.

Separating his back from the tree, the white haired man turned his head slightly as he smiled knowingly. "Oh? Don't tell me you haven't figured it out." He teased.

Once again, silence was the only thing heard from the person standing in the tree's shadow.

"Anyways." Jiraiya started. "Akatsuki… What are we going to do about it?" He asked, clearly open for suggestions.

A slight shift of the feet was heard. "Just exactly… How many Bijuu are actually inside a Jinchuuriki out there?" The voice finally questioned. "I am not sure if even Akatsuki has a real definite number." He commented.

The sannin leaned back again. "I'm not completely sure myself…" The white haired man admitted. "It is a very erratic number, more so as of late." The man's voice suddenly took a saddened tone. "Especially after the tragedy of the Meido clan…"

"Meidou clan..?" The hidden man asked, the subject having clearly caught his attention.

Jiraiya shook his head slightly. "It's a long story… Perhaps some other time." He stated. "Let's just say that Konohagakure owes them a lot and leave it at that for now."

Silence overtook the two men.

After a couple of minutes had passed, the sannin spoke again. "Something tells me that this is not the only reason why you came all the way here." The white haired man noted. "The Gobi is not the only target, is he?" He received no answer once more. "When are they targeting him?" Jiraiya questioned, wary of the answer due to the presence of the man behind him.

"Right now…" Was the short answer. Jiraiya sighed again as he stood up.

* * *

Kage Mane no Jutsu – Shadow Manipulation Jutsu

Suigadan – Water Fang Projectile

Goukakyu no Jutsu – Great Fireball Jutsu

Kakougan Kangoku no Jutsu – Granite Prison Jutsu (Made up)

Suikoudan no Jutsu – Water Shark Projectile Jutsu

Housenkan no Jutsu – Mythical Fire Phoenix Jutsu

* * *

**Kisame –** Yes! That's how a chapter should be done!

**Itachi –** Please excuse Kisame's outburst, he is a little overexcited because this is the largest role he has had on this story.

**Kisame – **And I kicked some ass!

**Itachi –** … Anyway, we don't really know when the next chapter will be written, this next couple of weeks are sure to be hectic for Phoenixsun, also there are many other projects he is considering undertaking.

**Kisame – **Oh yeah, like the NarutoxReborn! Crossover where you are an Arcobaleno, that would sure be funny to see.

**Itachi –** If you know what's good for you, you'll shut up… Like I was saying, Phoenixsun would be posting the status and progress of Chapter 18 in his author's page, so be sure to check there for updates.

**Kisame –** Well, we will now be leaving you.

**Itachi –** Be in the lookout for The Power to Heal and Destroy Chapter 18 – Uchiha.


	18. Uchiha

**Kisame** – And here we are, less than two months since the last update, for some more of me wiping the floor with Naruto-kun.

**Itachi** – Yeah…Anyways, there will be a very important announcement concerning the "future" of this story at the end of the chapter, please to some time to look at it.

**Kisame** – What is it? Am I going to become the main character? Has Phoenixsun decided which girl Naruto is going with?

**Itachi** – You should really pay attention during the meetings, but since I'm in a good mood today, I'll get you up to speed…In the meantime, we leave you with the 18th chapter of PHD…

* * *

_**Uchiha**_

Naruto could barely see pass his aggressor's foot, but he could still discern the prideful, wicked smile on the swordsman's face.

"We are two opposing forces, you and I…" Kisame commented. "You could even say that we are natural enemies." He said, pressing his sword even harder on the Jinchuuriki's back.

The blond could feel his body been driven deeper into the ground by the former Kiri nin's strengths. He tried to push himself off the ground again, but his body didn't move an inch. _"Damn it…! Stupid body…Move!"_ The boy orders were ignore as hid body grew heavier and his strength weaker.

"**This is what happens when you spent all of your days sulking instead of training!"** The fox scowled him in his mind. **"Lately you have been relying too much on those eyes of yours, neglecting your body and simply copying others like a mindless monkey!"** The Bijuu ranged. **"Now…There is nothing I can do…"** A hint of fear betrayed Kyuubi's anger sending another dose of terror down the Leaf genin's spine.

Continuing to struggle, the boy knew he had to keep himself from passing out. "Wha…What do you…Want with me…?" Naruto asked.

A snigger escaped Kisame. "What? Itachi didn't tell you during your encounter?" The man wondered. "I don't see what harm is in telling you our objective." He finished by pressing harder with Samehada. "We are _collecting_ all the Bijuu, all of those living catastrophes that roam this world." He paused to laugh. "It just too bad that you got caught in this crossfire by having the strongest Bijuu sealed inside of you, though it does make it easier to carry…"

Down on the ground, Naruto's eyes widened. _"Itachi did say that they wanted me because of the fox, but…All of them…?_" His mind immediately thought of Gaara. _"How many others are there?"_ The boy wondered.

Confident that he had his prey under control the missing nin started to talk animatedly. "I tell you, after Itachi's little failure, I was sure that it would be a pain in the ass to capture you." The mocking tone was evident in Kisame's voice. "We were certain that old fart of a Hokage would keep you under 24-hour surveillance."

The Jinchuuriki's Sharingan eyes snapped open at the mention of the fallen Hokage.

"Though I was starting to look forward to slaughter wave after wave of Leaf ANBU." The former Mist Swordsman commented, unaware and uncaring of his opponent's thoughts, of the mental turmoil that his insult had caused. "But then the geezer goes and dies on all of you, leaving the village in its biggest crisis since the Kyuubi attacked." His words were soon followed by an all out laugh. "If that wasn't an invitation for us to come and get you, I don't know what it is!" The man exclaimed. "We will get that Bijuu out of you before the maggots can finish eating the Sandaime's body!"

Suddenly, it appeared as if the ground below Kisame had cracked and, despite all the strength he was exerting on his sword, Samehada started to rise up.

"Damn…You…" Naruto's words were full of venom as he, with fist driven into the ground, started to force his body off the destroyed pavement. "I will not let you insult the Third!" The blond shouted. The counteracting strengths were so great that the boy's knuckles were already tainted crimson. "I'm going to KILL YOU!" He exclaimed as he briskly move his head, shaking the Kiri fugitive's foot off his face, and setting his eyes on him.

A wicked smile took hold of Kisame's face. "Hahahah! You sure are a riot, brat!" The Akatsuki member happily exclaimed as he raised his sword of the boy's back. Before the Konoha genin could even think the word _Amaterasu_, the blue haired man had swiftly brought down Samehada down on the blonde's back. The sickening impact of the blow caused the few birds that had remained in the area during the battle to fly away scared.

Naruto once again lay on the floor, nothing short of a bloody mess on the crater that had been formed by his body. The young man was dimly aware of where he was and it cost him a great deal of effort not to pass out right then and there.

Looking at the damage he had caused, the former Kiri nin had to force himself not to continue on laughing. "Heheheh… Not bad, not bad, brat." He commented. "Had the circumstances been different, if you had a chance to mature and harness your potential, you would have become a terribly powerful shinobi, with that strong will of yours." The man swung his sword to his back, deeming it unnecessary to deal with what remained of his prey. "To tell you the truth, this makes me a little sad. I would have loved to fight a more mature and experienced you." Kisame admitted as he crouched down and started to move his hands towards the Jinchuuriki's collard, the Akatsuki member was ready to capture his target.

Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp…

The deafening sound of birds suddenly overwhelmed the area, catching the missing nin's attention. A second after the blue haired man had jumped out of the way, the ground beside the young Jinchuuriki seemingly exploded, sending dust and rubble into the air. Kisame brought his hand back to Samehada as he watched the dust settle, a smirk forming on his face.

There, between the Mist Swordsman and the beaten up blond, stood how Kisame had always pictured Itachi would have looked around five years ago. Dark locks falling over an unscratched Leaf headband and encasing a pair of Sharingan eyes glaring at him. The churning and flashes of electricity on the boy's left hand only added effect to the picture.

Sasuke's glare narrowed at the strange man's smirk. Shifting his eyes, the Uchiha caught the current state of his teammate that lay on the floor. A surging pang of anger rose through the raven haired genin at the sight of his friend's blood pooling around his body. "What did you do…?" The Sharingan user asked, the lightning chakra in his hand intensifying for emphasis.

The widening in Kisame's grin showed that he had disregarded the question. "So, you are Sasuke, uh? I heard a lot about you." The blue haired man commented. "I was hoping I get to run into you while I was here." He continued as he brought his sword forward. "There are a lot of people that expect big things from you, did you know?" The former Kiri shinobi started to emit overpowering amounts of chakra. "And I wanted to see for myself if you were worth all the fuss." He watched the young Uchiha closely for any reactions.

If the Leaf genin was intimidated by the missing nin, he had manage not to show it as his face never betrayed the anger he was feeling. "What did you do to Naruto?" He asked again, still receiving nothing but a smirk from the blue haired man. "Answer me, damn it!" The raiton jutsu in his hand flared once again.

"Sa…Sasuke…"

A stir and a pained call from behind him caused the raven haired boy to turn back and set his attention on his friend. The blond was trying to once again push his broken body off the floor. "Naruto!" Sasuke called out.

Gritting his teeth, the young Jinchuuriki fixed his eyes on his teammate. "I…I'm alright…" He assured him weakly.

With his Sharingan activated, the raven haired genin could see how his comrade's chakra was slowly gathering on his wounds. _"It's not supposed to be like that…"_ The boy's mind pondered. _"Naruto has always had more chakra."_ He thought as he suddenly came into a realization.

Sasuke had been already on his way home, having decided to take the scenic route just in case Kiba and the other were still trying to catch him, when he suddenly felt the clashing chakra in the nearby area. Recognizing one of the chakra signatures as Naruto's and soon realizing that it was fading, the boy did not hesitated in forming a Chidori and charging in. But now, seeing the current condition of his friend and the uncharacteristic behavior of his chakra, the young Sharingan user knew that fight had been underway for a long time.

Back to the matter at hand, the Uchiha shook his head. "No, you're not alright." He stated as he move his right hand to his pocket. "Here, eat this." The raven haired crouched down and put his last soldier pill in his teammate's mouth. Sasuke's Sharingan could see the blonde's chakra been replenish and the wounds on his back starting to heal almost immediately. "Now, what's going on?" He asked as his friend was finally starting to stand up.

Still feeling the pain from the assault on his back, Naruto struggled to his feet. "I don't…Know much myself…" The Jinchuuriki managed to get out. "His name is Kisame…He's a former Mist Swordsman…And he belongs to a group call Akatsuki…" The blond explained, stopping himself from adding _along with your brother_.

"But why are you fighting him?" The Uchiha asked, already familiar with the reputation of the Mist Swordsmen.

Naruto gritted his teeth, not prepare to answer that question.

As the spiky haired boy's mind raced for answer, the two Leaf nins were interrupted. "Suigadan!" The torrents of water gushed out of the canal and shot in direction of the two boys, forcing the genins to jump back to dodge them. "You know, I don't personally like been left out of a conversation." Kisame commented as both pair of Sharingan eyes settled on him.

The raven haired shinobi looked at his blond companion. "The two of us can take him…" He declared as he brought his still-alive Chidori forward.

"I don't know… He's a high level jounin and we haven't had much practice in fighting together." Naruto pointed out, though his stand became a little more aggressive nonetheless.

"We fought Haku together…" Sasuke argued, his Sharingan eyes narrowing on the blue haired man.

A snort escaped the blond. "Do you even remember how that fight ended up?" The Jinchuuriki shot back. "I would think not, since you were unconscious on the floor."

The Uchiha simply shrugged off the remark. "But that was a long time ago…We have grown since then." The way he leaned forward made him seem predatory. "We are both stronger now." The genin stated.

Sighting, a smirk formed on Naruto's face. "I guess you are right…Kakougan Kangoku no Jutsu!" The blond suddenly shouted. A streak of granite walls started to rise in front of the two genin toward the Akatsuki member.

The smile returned to the swordsman. "Now that's more like it!" He exclaimed as he easily side stepped the incoming wall.

Even before the blue haired man's feet could return to the ground, the wall next to him unexpectedly exploded and a lighting-covered hand shot through the dust towards him causing the former Kiri nin to move further back. Preparing a counterattack with Samehada, something else caught Kisame's attention. "Suigadan!" The Jinchuuriki's command was heard the moment Kisame step on the canal and was immediately followed by another torrent of water from the water behind the Akatsuki member.

"Damn it!" The former Mist shinobi cursed as he used his sword to cut down the assaulting streams before they reached him.

With his back turned, the nukenin could not see the smirk that had taken residence on Sasuke's face, but he did heard how the Uchiha softly said. "Got you…" Before plunging his raiton jutsu into the canal.

Electricity flowed though the water and overwhelmed the towering man. The raven haired genin smiled at the show of flashes and light he had created until his Sharingan eyes caught sight of the man's body turning into water and falling down on the canal. "What the…" Sasuke pondered as he took a step forward, looking around for any sign of their enemy.

"Suirou no Jutsu!" Suddenly, water encased the young Uchiha's body into a sphere as a figure rose from the water next to trap genin. "Hahahah!" The former Kiri nin laughed as he look from one dumbstruck boy to the other. "That was really clever of you, I had to quickly get out of the water until the lightning chakra settle down a bit." He admitted as his eye set his eyes on the raven haired boy. "Now you just sit there while I beat Naruto-kun up again…" His words were accompanied by another rising figure in the water.

A water clone stood between the Akatsuki member, and the trapped Leaf nin, and the Jinchuuriki. The bushin carried a perfect replica of the smile on his creator's face as he brought his identical Samehada forward and pointed it at the blonde's direction.

Inside the spiky haired boy's mind, his thoughts raged. _"What can I do? I have to get Sasuke out of there!"_ Naruto exclaimed in his head. The Mizu Bushin walked confidently towards the young man, Kisame realizing more chakra with each of his clone's steps.

Panic was starting to overcome the genin. **"Well, since you have been depending so much in your damn Sharingan, put it to some use!"** Kyuubi ranted in his container's mind. **"Start acting like an Uchiha, damn it!"**

Naruto sighed, understanding where the Bijuu was going, and forced himself to calm down. "Don't worry, Sasuke, I'll get you out." He declared as he brought his hands together. A short, odd laugh escaped the blond. "Heh…I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself when I saw it during the chuunin exam.

Curiosity got the best of Kisame and he willed his clone stop on his tracks. Both blue haired men stood watching as the Jinchuuriki started through a set of hand seals.

Tiger, Dragon, Rat, Bird, Ox, Snake, Dog, Monkey, Tiger.

From inside the water sphere, Sasuke could barely make up the sequence of hand seals that his teammate was performing, but something about it seems rather familiar to the raven haired boy. There was no mistake in the Sharingan user's mind about the pose that the blond assumed afterwards.

The Jinchuuriki stood with legs somewhat parted, crouching slightly, right arm extended downwards, and his left hand resting on the stretched forearm. Naruto's eyes were fixed on his right hand as an exceptionally serious look took over his face.

Both Kisames tilted their heads slightly to their side as they watched their target's behavior. The missing nin could sense the tremendously large amounts of chakra that the blond was gathering in his right hand, but there was no sign of a jutsu taking effect.

"_Come on…Come on…"_ The spiky haired boy pleaded in his mind as he continued to pump chakra down his right arm and into his hand. The rate of sweat dripping down the Jinchuuriki's face dramatically increased as he gritted is teeth and increased the hold of his left hand on his right forearm. _"Please…Work…!"_

Despite his situation, Sasuke watched his teammate's actions in a mix of worry and amazement. With his Sharingan, the Leaf genin could see the dangerously large quantity of chakra that had gathered in his hand.

The grip his hand had on his forearm was so strong that it was a matter of time before blood would start to drip down as his fingers impaled into the skin, but Naruto could not care less. _"More power…More focus…Until the point it's about to explode…"_ The blond meditated.

The eyes of the former Mist Swordsman widened as the water beneath the Jinchuuriki's feet started to boil. The blue haired man finally became aware of the sudden rise of temperature in the area, concentrating around the young shinobi.

A half smile formed on Naruto's lips as the bubbles soon became bands of steam that rose into the air all around him. "I guess this is as far as I can get at the moment…" The Sharingan user commented as the straightened up. "It's not complete yet…But it'll have to do." He declared as his eyes narrowed on the water clone. The spiky haired boy had his right arm extended and his hand was surrounded by steam and smoke.

The Mizu Bushin smirked as the Jinchuuriki shot swiftly towards him, leaving a trail of water vapor behind, and raised his duplicate Samehada and prepared for a counter strike. The bandaged swords came down just as the blonde's hand shot forward.

Kisame's eyes widened at the collision.

Before the sword could get close enough to its prey to do any damage, the entire water cone seemingly exploded into a cloud of steam that spread through the area, reaching all the way to the nukenin and his prisoner. The swordsman's surprise was so strong that he barely registered Naruto's smoke covered hand coming towards him through the cloud of steam, leaving the towering man no choice but to release his water prison and jump away to evade the incoming attack.

Naruto stood next to his shocked teammate with a smirk directed towards their opponent. The smile weakened when the blue haired man started to laugh.

"Incredible, I really didn't see any of that coming!" The Akatsuki member exclaimed. "First I thought you were going to use Hatake's jutsu as well, but it turned out to be a katon! Though it did go a little askew, nevertheless, evaporating my water clone? Very sneaky, brat!" The swordsman praised with a smirk.

Ignoring the comments from the former Kiri shinobi, the blond looked as his comrade. "Are you ok?"

Sasuke scoffed. "I could have gotten out of there myself." He commented, but at the look his friend was giving him, he added. "Eventually…" In an undertone. "And what's with that jutus?" The raven haired boy asked, taking a defensive tone.

The spiky haired boy allowed himself to smirk for a second. "Some other time." He requested. The Jinchuuriki's grin disappeared before he directed his gaze towards the Akatsuki member; two more water clones were rising out of the water. "Do you still think we can take him?" He asked.

"We'll just have to find out…" The raven haired boy responded.

Immediately, both Sharingan users started to form hand seals. Kisame was impressed with their speed and synchronization as they made the same seals at the same time. "Goukakyu no Jutsu!" Both boys shouted in unison.

Two fireballs united into one gigantic, blazing behemoth flying towards the two bushins. The explosion that followed was devastating.

Kisame stood smirking at the fireworks as his cloud patterned cloak fluttered violently trying to get away from the blast. His grin wavered a little as the two genin's voices were heard through the sound of falling rubble. "Housekan no Jutsu!" A vast barrage of small fireballs instantly broke through the cloud of dust flying viciously towards the blue haired man.

Grabbing Samehada from his back, the former Mist shinobi concentrated his chakra into his sword before bringing down in a fierce swipe. The move was strong enough that caused a gust of wind to shot forward, blowing away the incoming fires, revealing a group kunais that have been hidden by the flames.

The blades harmlessly hit the floor around the swordsman as his smirk returned. Suddenly, several of the kunais changed as their henge was dropped, now showing explosive tags wrapped around them.

There wasn't even time for the nukenin to jump as his body was consumed by a massive explosion.

Both Konoha genins stood smirking between pants at the second blast, they had enough time to look at each other before their relief was shattered by the laugh they were starting to hate.

"Hahahah! This is so much fun!" Kisame exclaimed as all the dust suddenly disperse, revealing the Akatsuki member to be completely unharmed. "I can't remember the last time I had gone through so many water clones." He managed to confess between laughs. "I never thought that I was going to have so much entertaining on this mission!" The towering man excitedly stated.

The two you man looked at each other again, each one seeing the fear in the other's Sharingan.

The maniacal grin on Kisame's face widened. "Let's kick it up a nudge and get serious, what do you say?" The swordsman exclaimed as his hand when through a serious of hand seals at such a high speed that the boy's Sharingans could not fully follow. "Here's a big one…Suiryudan no Jutsu!"

A tremor seemed to run through the area as an enormous tower of water rose into the area and took the shape of a dragon.

Two pairs of terror filled Sharingan eyes watched as the torrential serpent, bigger than the one their sensei had once created, made its way towards them. The two genins were too bewildered to even move out of the suiton jutsu's path of destruction.

Surprisingly, the water dragon's movement halted just a couple of feet away from its preys. All three shinobi watched in surprise as the leviathan started to writhe, as though in pain. "You just had to ruin my fun, didn't you…?" Kisame commented with a sigh.

With a horrifying roar, the dragon suddenly exploded into numerous dark ravens.

The black birds fluttered around the area from a moment before the avian creatures came together into a shadowy mass. Slowly, the dark mass started to take the form of a person. "I thought I told you no lethal force, Kisame…" He calmly commented.

"YOU!" Sasuke immediately roared the moment his eyes caught sight of the newcomer. Before Naruto could even do anything, the raven haired boy was already dashing towards his older brother. The Chidori that had formed in the young Sharingan user's hand started to grow, soon covering the genin's body, before a dragon made completely out of lightning shot towards the oldest Uchiha. "Itachi!" The monstrosity opened up its jaws and devoured the former Leaf shinobi in a massive explosion.

Breathing hard, Sasuke strained his eyes to look through the cloud of dust that had risen. He wanted to see the body, he needed to see his brother's body burned, destroyed, and demolished by his attack.

As the debris finally started to settle down, the younger Uchiha could see nothing. No charred cloths, no destroyed body, no tore limbs, nor pool of blood, there was just a crater created by his Raikiri Ryu. Ferociously looking around, Sasuke searched for any sign of his brother's location. The boy's Sharingan caught something from the corner of his eyes. Looking back in shock, the Leaf genin's eyes widened in a mixture of surprise, terror, and anger.

Behind him stood Itachi with his back turned to him, now he could see that his brother was wearing the same cloud patterned cloak as Kisame, but at the moment the boy could not care less about that fact.

The oldest Uchiha had his right arm extended in the air, and his hand had a fierce hold on Naruto's neck as the blond struggled to break free. The Jinchuuriki's logs flailed uselessly as Itachi held his body up. "It has been a long time…Naruto-kun…" Itachi commented in a sly voice.

"I…Itachi…" The spiky haired boy managed to get out as he continued to struggle. The Akatsuki member had tilted the boy's head back so that all he could set his Sharingan eyes on were the clouds above them.

A smirk worthy of Kyuubi formed on Itachi's face, he did not need to see the blonde's face to know that it was filled with anger, fear, and desperation. "I see that you have become stronger since the last time I saw you." The black haired young man continued. "Tell me, how is it going with that strange Sharingan of yours?" He asked in a mocking tone.

"Itachi!" Sasuke called out in rage at been ignored by the person who once took everything away from him. "Look at me, damn you! Turn around!" The boy roared, but his brother gave no sign of acknowledgment to his wrathful words.

Kisame watched from a distance with an almost goofy grin. "This is what I've been waiting form." The blue haired man commented. "The great Uchiha family reunion, it's going better that I ever could have hope for." Never before had the swordsman desired a bowl full of popcorn as much as he did now.

Gritting his teeth with an almost crushing force, Sasuke rushed through a set of hand seals. "Turn around…Damn you…" The raven haired boy spat out. "Turn around…So that I can see your face when I kill you!" The genin shouted before dashing towards his brother with a Chidori charging in his left hand once again.

It was not until the enraged boy was only a couple of feet away from his brother, that Itachi turn his head slightly to the side and shifted his eyes towards him. The Akatsuki member simple extend his free hand towards the incoming genin.

Half a dozen crows flew from the Itachi's sleeve. Instantly flying and surrounding the younger Uchiha, the birds started to attack with unnatural ferocity and strength.

Not even with his Sharingan could the raven haired boy see what hit him. Despite all of his determination, Sasuke's body fell onto the ground less than three feet away from his brother.

Immediately, the assaulting ravens changed targets, setting their eyes on the captured Jinchuuriki. Just like they had done before, the avian creatures started circling their next victim.

With an ominous smile, Itachi relinquish his hold on the blonde's neck, and let the boy fall. Before Naruto's body could hit the ground, the crows had already reduced him to a bloody mess once again.

"Da…Damn you…You bastard…" The spiky haired boy forced out. The chakra he had regained with the solider pill had all but gone, leaving the genin to struggle on the floor once more.

The older Sharingan user simply regarded the beaten boy for a couple of seconds before delivering a powerful kick to the blonde's chest, sending him a couple of feet back. The sound of something snapping could be heard all the way where Kisame was standing, causing the former Kiri nin to smile. "Do not misinterpret my words, Naruto-kun…" Itachi started with a serious tone. "I might have said that you had become stronger, but are you are by far nowhere near our level."

The Jinchuuriki could only look at the older man, he didn't even had enough chakra to activate his Sora Sharingan again.

"At this moment, both you and Sasuke-kun…" Itachi took a moment to glace at his younger brother who was struggling just like his teammate. "Are only a couple of pathetic brats pretending to be shinobi." The nukenin narrowed his Sharingan eyes. "But still…Both of you carry the same blood that runs through my veins, you are subject to the same overwhelming desire for power as me, you are both Uchiha." The seriousness in the young man's voice was overwhelming for the weakened blond. "You have to give in to that thirst for power as well if you truly want to become stronger."

Regaining some of his composure, Naruto managed to glare at the Akatsuki member. "I'll never become like you!" The genin declared.

The smirk returned to Itachi's face. "You are talking as though you have a choice." He commented. "Like I said, you are an Uchiha, and eventually you will succumb to the hunger and betray anyone in order to achieve more power, it is your and Sasuke-kun's fate, just like it was mine. It is in your best interest to just embrace it before it is too late." His tone became serious again. "Because next time, you will be coming with us."

The black haired man was about to turn around Naruto managed to call out. "Bastard!" The boy shouted in anger. "Is that why you came here? Just to tell me that I will one day betray my friends and become like you? Well, screw you!" The Jinchuuriki spat out as he closed his fist tightly. "I will become stronger, but in my own way! I'll surpass you without hurting the people I care about!" He proclaimed

A sigh escaped the Uchiha. "You just don't get it, do you…?" Itachi didn't wait for an answer before continuing. "You, Sasuke-kun, and I, as part of the Uchiha clan, are bound together by a chain of hatred and greed that goes far beyond your realm of comprehension." He explained. "Never stop improving, always desiring to soar higher, not letting any obstacle hinder the way, all of those thoughts brought together by the fires of wrath, that is what it really means to be an Uchiha, and there is nothing you can do about it." The smirk formed again on the young man's face at blonde's anguish. "I tell you what, Naruto-kun…" The sly tone returned. "I will give you one more chance to prove your ideals…" The smirk widened. "When you obtain your _third_…I will come and find you." Itachi stated.

Having said his piece, the Akatsuki member started to turn around. "Itachi!" Sasuke suddenly jumped for the floor and stretched his Chidori covered hand towards his brother as the cursed seal spread through his body.

With one swift moment, barely caught by Naruto and Kisame, Itachi grabbed the younger Uchiha by the collard and slam his body into one of the trees near the canal. "I hope you heard what I told Naruto-kun, because right now you are nothing more than an eyesore for me." He said cruelly as Sasuke fought to brake free. "Out of all the Sharingan users left in this world, you are by far the weakest, give in to your greed and use the hatred to feed your wrath." The young man instructed.

"Da…Damn you…" Sasuke spat out.

Itachi shook his head. "That's not nearly enough, you have to hate me with all of your heart...Perhaps you need a little reminder." The younger Uchiha watched in horror as the comas in his brother's Sharingan merged into a wheel. "Tsukuyomi…"

"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed at the sight of his teammate's body going numb in the Akatsuki member's grip. The boy was well aware what the older Sharingan user was doing and of the damage it could cause. Managing to gather some strength, the genin pushed himself up and jumped towards the two brothers.

A pain was suddenly felt through the blonde's body before he was violently thrown to the side. "Don't forget about me…" Kisame said as he returned Samehada to his back.

"It is time for use to leave, Kisame…" The shorter man simply stated as he unceremoniously threw his brother's numb body towards the Jinchuuriki.

The swordsman wined. "Do we really have to…? I'm having a lot of fun here." He pointed out.

"Naruto! Sasuke!" As he crawled towards his teammate, the blond could hear his sensei's shouts from the distance.

Itachi looked at Kisame. "That should answer your question." He stated. "I am not fond of the idea of facing Kakashi-sempai and the other jounins at the moment." The Uchiha explained as he turned around, the blue haired man followed suit. "Remember what I said, Naruto-kun…Become stronger." He added before the two Akatsuki members disappeared.

Naruto gritted his teeth and tightened his fist at his failure before returning to his task of reaching his comrade. "Sasuke…Are you alright…?" He asked as he shook his friend's body, but got no respond.

"Sasuke! Naruto!" Kakashi's shouts were growing louder and hurried footsteps could be heard.

Turning on his back, the blond Jinchuuriki glared at the sky. "Damn it…" He cursed. "I am not strong enough…I'm not strong at all…!" Naruto managed to shout before his strength finally gave up and his world turned into darkness.

* * *

Darkness grew stronger with each step he took. He was never an admirer of obscurity and did not enjoy the fact that his eyes were obsolete at the moment, though the same could not be said about his ears.

The sound of a sword slashing through air could be heard further ahead, that told him all he needed to know. "Why must you practice in such conditions?" He asked, knowing that the question's intended target could hear.

"Heh…There are worse things than darkness, I know...I've seen them." The answer came through the shadows.

He shook his head. "I never expected that you would take the news this bad…" He commented.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

A smile formed. "The news about Konohagakure, about Naruto-chan's exploits against the other Jinchuuriki." He explained. "I am surprise it upset you like this, after all, Naruto-chan and you…"

"Don't even go there! Nothing that guy does could bother me, he could die for all that I care!" The voice exclaimed.

He chuckled slightly. "Then why are you here?" He asked. "You only come down to train like this when something bothers you."

"Stuff it, Okina!"

Another chuckle. "Well, I, for one, am impressed with young Naruto-chan." He admitted. "He's becoming quite a shinobi, just like…"

"Well, I doubt it'll last." The voice cut off. "We got intel that Akatsuki is making a move on him." It pointed out. "If he survives Akatsuki, then I'll accept that he's not a waste of space."

A smile formed in Okina's face. "Could it be that you are this upset because he is in danger?"

Growling could be heard from the darkness and the sound of slashes stopped. "Stop wasting my time with stupid thoughts, old geezer!" The voice barked, followed by the sound of steps leading further into the darkness.

The old man shook his head. "The will of the Namikaze…Lives on in such stubborn and hotheaded individuals." He commented as the sound of his comrade's footsteps faded. "Those who have inherited the Yondaime Hokage's blood…I just hope these old bones carry me until the day I get to see them show their true power to the world." Okina chuckled before turning around and walking away.

* * *

Suigadan – Water Fang Bullet

Kakougan Kangoku no Jutsu – Granite Prison Jutsu (Made up)

Suirou no Jutsu – Water Prison Jutsu

Goukakyu no Jutsu – Great Fireball Jutsu

Housenkan no Jutsu – Mythical Fire Phoenix Jutsu

Suiryudan no Jutsu – Water Dragon Jutsu

* * *

**Kisame** – Grr…

**Itachi** – Do not mind Kisame, he's just put off that I stole his thunder in the chapter

**Kisame** – Whatever…

**Itachi** – Anyhow, concerning what I said at the beginning of the chapter…

**Kisame** – (Sighs) Phoenixsun is well aware that of the errors in this story, especially the stupid atrocities he did in the first group of chapter.

**Itachi** – And you wonder why he doesn't give you a bigger role.

**Kisame** – Grr…Due to the constant flames about that matter, Phoenixsun has come to a decision.

**Itachi** – He will be putting up a poll in which he will give you, the readers, the say in the matter.

**Kisame** – There will be three options for you to choose from.

**Itachi** – The first is having Phoenixsun rewrite the chapters as he continues his work on the story. Keep in mind that this option will greatly slow down Phoenixsun's already…I guess "pathetic" is as good a word as any, update rate.

**Kisame** – The second option is to simply shut up and stop whining about the chapters.

**Itachi** – In a less rude manner, yes…And the last option…

**Kisame** – You have to wonder what Phoenixsun was thinking when he came up with that one.

**Itachi** – Is to give the chance to readers that are willing to rewrite the chapters themselves and submit them to Phoenixsun, he will then choose the best and use it to replace the old chapter. Giving credit to those who are due, of course.

**Kisame** – Let them try, I say.

**Itachi** – Anyways, please take the time and vote for one of the three options in Phoenixsun's profile. The poll will be open until the next update when the result will be revealed.

**Kisame** – Kami knows when that will be.

**Itachi** – You are really asking for it. Don't come crying when the next time you appear in the story, you get beaten by Lee's pet squirrel.

**Kisame** – What? Did Phoenixsun tell you that was going to happen?

**Itachi** – Maybe…Anyway, see you readers on the next chapter of The Power to Heal and Destroy.

**Kisame** – Itachi, that's not funny! Itachi…Itachi…! Where are you going? Tell me if I'm going to get beaten by a furry!


	19. A Matter of Control

**Itachi – **Uchiha Itachi here with the newest chapter of PHD. Kisame would not be able to join us this time, he's still a little freaked by chapter 473 of the manga. So accompanying me today is Rock Lee.

**Lee –** Yosh! I'm really happy to be here Itachi-san!

**Itachi –** Happy to have you. First we will like to apologize for how long it took for this update.

**Lee –** Phoenixsun has been trying to finish this chapter since October, we never expected that he'll have so many problems.

**Itachi –** Also, there is the results from the poll concerning the rewrite of the first chapters…

**Lee –** The results are that…

**Itachi –** _(Cuts in)_ We'lll leave the results until the end of the chapter.

**Lee – **But…!

**Itachi – **Let it go, Lee. In the meantime, here is PHD's chapter 19…

* * *

_**A Matter of Control**_

"Remember what I said, Naruto-kun…Become stronger." Itachi added before the two Akatsuki members disappeared.

Naruto gritted his teeth and tightened his fist at his failure before returning to his task of reaching his comrade. "Sasuke…Are you alright…?" He asked as he shook his friend's body, but got no respond.

"Sasuke! Naruto!" Kakashi's shouts were growing louder and hurried footsteps could be heard.

Turning on his back, the blond Jinchuuriki glared at the sky. "Damn it…" He cursed. "I am not strong enough…I'm not strong at all…!" Naruto managed to shout before his strength finally gave up and his world turned into darkness.

-

The absoluteness of the darkness was comforting, Naruto bitterly realized. Right now, it was the perfect place for the beaten Jinchuuriki to hide his shame. He felt that he could simply give up and drift through the oblivion of darkness forever, without having to face the harsh reality that the light fell upon.

"_You have to give in to that thirst for power…"_

Naruto gritted his teeth as the voice broke through the darkness.

"…_If you truly want to become stronger."_

Itachi's words resonated, disturbing, what would be, the blonde's peaceful respite.

"**Heheheh… That Uchiha truly did a number on you."** Kyuubi's voice suddenly cut in, causing his host the frown. The boy was in no mood to deal with the fox at the moment.** "Now this is more like it… This feeling of helplessness and defeat suits you better, Kit. Hahahah!"**

The young Leaf nin try to push the Bijuu's words away. The genin just wanted to be left alone so he could pretend he wasn't as weak as he felt at the moment.

Ignoring the boy's distress, the fox continued. **"But you know… That Uchiha spoke the true."** Kyuubi's mocking tone was replaced by a serious one. **"During the last couple of months, your growth as a shinobi has been nothing short of exceptional."** The fox said in one of his rare complements. **"But you are still nothing compared to the monsters that are out there. Hell, you are not even worthy to escape the sun in your father's shadow."**

The Jinchuuriki continued to grit his teeth to the point pain spread from his jaw. "Then what the hell am I suppose to do?!" The boy roared. "Follow Itachi's advice and selfishly seek more power at the expenses of everyone else?!

"**It is not a bad idea…"** The Bijuu pointed out. **"That man's strength is almost as terrifying as the founder of the Uchiha clan, and I for one would not mind my vessel commanding such power."** Kyuubi admitted. **"But…"** The fox began again. **"I can assure you that there are other paths that you can follow in your search for power."**

Naruto's eyes snapped open in the darkness. "What do you mean…?" The genin asked.

A couple of moment of silence followed before the Bijuu answered. **"If Kami truly does exist, he must have been bored the day that you were born."** Kyuubi started explaining. **"You are the convergence point for so many forces that should have never met. I am a particularly curious, and somewhat wary, of the potential for growth that you posses."**

The blonde's eyes frowned at the explanation, unsure if the fox's comment was a praise or an insult, though he was leaning towards the latter. "But that doesn't tell me anything." He stated. "How else can I become stronger?"

Kyuubi's booming laughter answered. **"Hahahah… If I were to tell you, then how would that be funny for me?"** The Bijuu teased. **"You just wait, soon your true role will be revealed."**

"And what do you mean by that?!" Naruto shouted, already losing his temper. "What role?! What are you talking about?! Tell me, Kyuubi!" The Jinchuuriki called out in desperation, but received no answer. "Tell me! Tell me! How do I become stronger?!" The young man pleaded.

The darkness did not feel welcoming anymore; instead it suffocated and irritated the genin. Now he wanted out, he wanted to return to the blinding light that shined over all of his flaws so the he could fix them and finally get rid of them.

Still, the fox refused to answer his pleads and remained silent.

"Tell me, damn it…" Naruto tightened his fist until he could field the streaks of blood running through his fingers. A surging feeling suddenly exploded inside the Jinchuuriki's body, swelling up and overwhelming his body. "Tell me!"

Light suddenly rushed into the blonde's eyes as he felt his world going vertical once more.

"Yosh! I didn't know you wanted to learn my exercise regimen that badly, Naruto-kun." A voice cut through the brightness.

Shaking away the nauseous feelings of exhaustion, Naruto's eyes started to make out the forms around. It did not take long for the Leaf genin to realize he was in one of many dull and depressing rooms in the Konoha Hospital.

As he scanned through the room, the Jinchuuriki's gaze fell on the older boy seating by his bed. The usual vibrant smile adorned Rock Lee's face as he sat wearing a hospital robe and a set of crutches lied on his side.

"What… What happened…?" Naruto asked the older boy.

The taijutsu user looked confusingly at his fellow dead-last. "Don't you remember, Naruto-kun?" He wondered before explaining. "Gai-sensei and the others brought you here to the hospital. It seems that you were left in pretty bad shape after a big fight."

Naruto remained silent for a couple of seconds considering the black haired boy's words. "Yes…" The Sharingan user finally said. The images of his second encounter with Uchiha Itachi were far too clear in the Jinchuuriki's mind, and the mere memory of them caused his fist to tighten out of reflexes.

"You have been out cold." Lee continued. "So I tried seeing if maybe you would wake up if someone talked to you. Went I was getting to my daily training, you suddenly started screaming at me to tell you."

By now the memories of fight ran so wild inside the blonde's head that he could barely register his comrade's words. Managing to push back images of Itachi's haunting gaze, Naruto took a deep breath. "How long was I out?" He asked.

Lee took a couple of second to think. "Well... You were brought here on Kakashi-san's back yesterday after noon…" He commented. "And is almost noon today, so about nineteen hours." The young man answered with a smile. "We saw you been brought in and decided to keep you company, and I guess we ended up spending the night without realizing."

The Jinchuuriki tilted his head. "'We'?" Suddenly, the Sharingan user felt something stir by his side. Looking down, Naruto could not stop a smile from forming at the sight.

A blue haired girl seemingly slept with her head resting just by the blonde's pillow.

"Hmm…" Hinata stirred slightly before her head slowly started to rise from the hospital mattress.

Naruto watched with a mix of curiosity and amusement as the Hyuga drowsily looked from Lee to the, very awake, blond.

The black haired boy smiled brightly. "Yosh, Hinata-san! You are really a heavy sleeper; Naruto-kun has been awake for a while now." The taijutsu user nonchalantly commented.

The kunoichi's face immediately took and impressive blush as she gazed at the spiky haired boy in front of her. "Na... Naruto-kun… I was… Yesterday I was… Neji-nii… And then they brought you here… And I just…" She seemed unable to neither complete a sentence nor look away from the boy's sapphire eyes. "I… I mean, how are you feeling, Naruto-kun?" The girl managed to ask.

The Jinchuuriki smiled. "Much better than yesterday, thanks for asking." He answered warmly.

Hinata smiled back at blond. "I am so glad, Naruto-kun…" She stated as she continued to gaze adoringly at the pair of azure orbs. Realizing that she had been staring, the Hyuga immediately stood up as her blush returned with a vengeance. "I… I have to go see Neji-niisan, sorry…" The Byakugan user excused herself before swiftly escaping the room.

Naruto tenderly watched the young Hyuga as she disappeared from his line of sight.

"Ok! See you later, Hinata-san!" Lee called out from his seat, completely oblivious of the girl's distress.

Sighing, the Sharingan user forced his way out of the bed sheets and off the mattress. The moment his weight fell on his legs, the blond could feel his body screaming to lie back down as the exhaustion forcibly reminded the genin of its presences.

Lee look at the spiky haired boy. "You shouldn't overexert yourself. Both of you were admitted here with severe chakra exhaustion. Truthfully, I'm surprise that you were able to wake up so soon." The older boy explained.

The blond nodded in agreement before his eyes suddenly widened. "Sasuke!" The Jinchuuriki exclaimed. "Where is Sasuke?!"

The taijutsu user bit his lip as he took a couple of seconds pondering. Without looking at Naruto, Lee stood up with his crutches and moved towards the door. "Intensive Care…" The normally energetic genin said softly. "Follow me, I'll take you there…" He stated before crossing the threshold.

* * *

Naruto silently followed the older boy through the hospital's halls. Each moment that the youthful genin remained quiet increased the blonde's worry.

"When they brought the two of you in…" Lee finally began, breaking the silence. "Both of you were covered in bruises and you chakra was alarmingly depleted…" He explained while keeping his eyes up ahead. "You were completely unconscious and unmoving, but Sasuke-kun… Sasuke-kun's body was shaking uncontrollably. The medics said he was in the worse condition out of the two of you."

The Jinchuuriki's eyes were downcast. Only Kami knew what Itachi had shown his younger brother in the Tsukuyomi world. Flashes of his own experience in the wrong side of the genjutsu coursed through his mind, causing the boy's fist to tighten.

Lee finally turned around to look at the younger shinobi. "Though now that I think about…" He eyed the spiky haired boy. "Most of your wounds have healed." Naruto's body immediately tensed up, but any worry that might risen was put to ease when the taijutsu user suddenly smile. "I guess you must have a very youthful spirit." The genin stated.

The Sharingan user managed to return the smile. **"You are welcome…"** The boy heard a certain Bijuu said as he and Lee reached the end of the hall and turned left.

"It's just at the end of this hall." Lee informed as he pointed forward.

Looking at the door that the older boy was pointing at, Naruto was taken back when a pink blur passed from the hall adjacent to the door and entered. The two young men simply glanced at each other before continuing on their way.

Right before they reached the door, a bright smile replaced Lee's troubled expression. "Sakura-san! I'm so happy to see you!" The black haired boy exclaimed as he looked inside the room.

Immediately, the kunoichi inside gave a slight jolt. She turned around and her gaze, which was previously set on the body lying on the bed, fell on the two boys. "Na… Naruto! Lee-san!" Sakura said in surprise. The girl's eyes shifted from one teenager to the other before they settled on the blonde's azure eyes. Emerald looked into sapphire for an instant, but the connection was broken when Sakura quickly looked away.

Naruto eyes remained on his teammate for a couple of seconds longer, but memories of their last encounter, and of all the weakness he ha shown her, caused him to look away as well.

"So, have you heard about Sasuke-kun's condition, Sakura-san?" Lee cut in, breaking the awkward moments between the teammates.

Sakura gave another small jolt. Composing herself, the pink haired girl look at the boy lying on the bed in the middle of the room.

Sasuke's skin was extremely pale and it was marked by bruises, scars, and cuts all over. The only sounds that could be heard in the room for the next couple of moments were those from the machines attached to the raven haired boy's body.

"Kakashi-sensei told me this morning what happened…" The kunoichi began. "I came here right away. The medics told me that me that they managed to stabilize Sasuke-kun overnight, his chakra is been replenished, and, while he's currently out of danger, he is… Sasuke-kun is…" She chocked slightly as one of her hands moved to the unconscious Uchiha's. "The medic said that Sasuke-kun's mind is unresponsive… It seems that he had some nerve damage and they… They don't know when he'll wake up…" Sakura struggled to inform.

Naruto took a couple of steps forward. The blonde's eyes fell on his unconscious teammate as he remembered the how Sasuke's body had stopped moving as he fell prey to Itachi's genjutsu.

Suddenly, Sakura's eyes shot to the spiky haired boy that was now standing next to her. "Naruto, I… I was going to visit you too…!" She stated. For some reason, the pink haired girl felt that she had to let her teammate know that she had not forgotten about him, that she was worried about him, and that his wellbeing mattered to her. "After I had check on Sasuke-kun, I was going to see you!" The girl desperately said as she looked pleadingly into the young man's eye.

The Jinchuuriki maintained eye contact with her teammate. Naruto was confused, he had never seen such a concerned look on Sakura's eyes while they were looking at him, but then again, he had stop taking the time to carefully observe those emerald orbs since long ago.

"Oi! There you are, brat!" A strong and rough voice was heard, immediately causing the pair of young shinobi to realize that they had been staring at the other's eyes. They broke eye contact right away.

Fighting the embarrassment that threatened to overwhelm his face, the Sharingan user glanced at the new arrival. "Ero-sennin?"

Right at the door's threshold stood the legendary Jiraiya, grinning broadly at the group of genin. "I was told you got worked over pretty good." The white haired man commented as he looked at the blond. "But seeing you walking around like this, I guess you probably were overreacting about a mere scrap."

Naruto glared at the iconic figure. "So you track me down just to make fun me?" He asked dryly.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed, obviously having recover from her own bout of embarrassment. "How can you talk to a sannin that way?" She asked bewildered.

"Hahahah!" Jiraiya boomingly laughed. "She's just as quick to reprimand you as my teammates were with me!" He commented, looking fondly at the pair. "Anyways, I have something important I need to discuss with you." The white haired joking tone died out slightly. "Why don't you and your friends come with me to the cafeteria and talk there? I haven't had anything to eat the entire day." The sannin said as he led the way out.

* * *

"So you're Gai's student, uh? I should have guessed!" Jiraiya exclaimed. The sannin and the three genins sat on a table in the hospital's cafeteria. The white hared man had insisted that they ate first before getting to more serious matters, and now eight empty cups of the hospital's instant ramen lied table, five of which had been eaten by Naruto.

Lee took the white haired man's comment as a complement and immediately smiled brightly. "Yosh! I am Rock Lee, the proud student of Miato Gai, the strongest jounin in the Konoha!" The boy proclaimed.

"Hahahah! I like that spirit!" The legendary shinobi stated as he smiled at the energetic boy. "I'll tell you what, Lee-kun." Jiraiya started as he searched for something in his pockets. "I'm going to show you something that I never showed you sensei because I thought he would not be able to handle." The man smiled slyly. "But I believe that you might be able to pull it off."

The taijutsu user's round eyes widened as he could barely contain his excitement. The young man's wild imagination had already several mental pictures of this mystery 'thing' that was too youthful for Gai-sensei.

Continuing to smile, Jiraiya finally brought out an orange book from one of his pockets. "This…" He signaled to the object in his hand. "Is the best book series in the world, written by yours truly, and only a selected few can comprehend its tremendous power." The white haired man cunningly said.

A trembling hand moved towards the book. Just before Lee's finger could touch the book, a hand swiftly came down, slamming the orange object into the table.

"I'm sorry, Jiraiya-sama…" Sakura softly spoke. "But I do not believe that Lee-san is the right person to read this type of book." She said with a small, sweet smile. The pink haired kunoichi had immediately recognize the book as the one her sensei so disturbingly enjoyed, and for the sake of the Hidden Leaf, Sakura could not allow someone as impressionable and energetic as Rock Lee to be corrupted those type of books.

Needless to say, the sannin was taken back. It wasn't so much at the girl's actions, but because of how much it reminded him of a certain blonde woman right before she drove her fist into his gut.

"Oh… If Sakura-san says I should not read that book, then I must respectfully decline your generous offer, Jiraiya-sama." The black haired genin lamented as he stole one last glance at the orange book.

A sigh escaped the experienced shinobi; he knew he had lost this chance to further promote his book. "Well, to the real reason I came here today." The white haired man started as his eyes set on the blond who had successfully watched the entire scene develop while fighting off the desire to smirk. "I have very important mission that I want you to accompany me on." Jiraiya stated with a serious face.

"But Naruto has been injured!" Sakura immediately voiced her response to sannin's revelation. "He's in no shape to go on missions, especially _very important_ ones, which just means it's going to be very dangerous!" The kunoichi said with true concern in her voice.

The white haired man immediately moved to calm the young girl down. "It's just a searching mission." He assured her. "We will be looking for a person that is very important for Konoha, especially at a time like this." The man explained.

Naruto's curiosity immediately sparked. "How so?" The Jinchuuriki asked. The Sharingan user had to be sure this was truly an important mission and not merely one of Ero-sennin's _expeditions of inspiration_. The blond had to start his training as soon as possible and he could not allow himself to be sidetracked, no matter how funny Jiraiya was while been chased out of a bathhouse by a mob of angry women.

Jiraiya was a little disappointed; he had expected the young man to be jumping with joy for a chance to leave the village for a while, especially considering all the things that had happened. "Well, for one, she is the best medic-nin this village has ever seen, and I'm sure she could help both Lee-kun and the Uchiha over at the intensive care wing." The man informed as he carefully observed the young Jinchuuriki.

The blonde's mind immediately started processing the information, and Lee's hopeful eyes staring at him were not helping. He really wanted to help his friends recover as soon as possible, but a search mission could take several weeks and even month when it came to tracking down one person, and he really needed to start training.

Another sigh escaped the sannin as he watched the spiky haired boy's struggle with a decision. "Let me sweeten the deal…" Jiraiya stared. "What if I teach you an extremely powerful jutsu while we're on the mission?" He said with a smile. "A jutsu created by a certain Hokage…" The man softly added.

Naruto's eyes immediately widened at the offer. It could certainly take care of his training problem while allowing the boy to help his comrades. "I… Guess…" The Sharingan user slowly said.

Immediately, Jiraiya stood up. "Great!" He exclaimed. "Meet me at the village entrance in two hours and be sure to pack for a long trip!" The man stated before darting out of the cafeteria, before the pink haired girl channeled Tsunade again and forced Naruto to change his mind.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi had never been a frequent visitor of the jounin-lounge. The silver haired man preferred to laze around at random places in the village, but since the events that occurred right before the Chuunin Exam, he had opted to spend more and more time hiding in the room reserved for the top shinobi in Konoha. Also, the fact that it had a bar was an added bonus.

"Kakashi!" Gai called out as he burst into the room, causing the Sharingan user to cringe. "What is this I heard about Jiraiya-sama taking Naruto-kun out of the village for a mission?" The taijutsu specialist asked as he moved towards his rival.

The copy-nin simply looked back down at his drink. "It's for the better…" He commented.

Gai's eyes narrowed. "For the better?!" He repeated in disbelief. "Just yesterday we had to carry him to the hospital! The kid was a bloody mess!" The man exclaimed. "You're his sensei, you should not allow that he'll be place in danger like this while in that condition!" The black haired jounin said as he slammed his fist on the bar table.

Kakashi seemed to recoil in his seat. "Me been his teacher has brought him nothing but trouble…" The man commented. "A couple of months ago, my decisions concerning him ended up with…" He could not finish his sentences.

A glare formed on Gai's face. "So you screw up, big deal!" He exclaimed. "At least Naruto-kun is still alive and you have a chance to make this right with him, but, Kami forbid, things might not always be like that, so you can't just turn you back at been his sensei!" The taijutsu user declared.

"And what can I do?!" Kakashi exclaimed as he stood up, anger and frustration finally flaring out. "I'm not fit to be his teacher! All that I can do for him is bring him pain and sorrow! I have failed my student, my teammate, and my own sensei!" He expressed, his voice was a mix of anger and guilt. "Naruto would be better off with any other jounin as a teacher! He'll be safer with a hunter nin from Mizu even! Hell, if I still have to make his life miserable by been his sensei, he'll be better off dea…!"

The silver haired man's sentence we left unfinished as the taijutsu user's fist was driven into his jaw, sending the copy nin falling back to the floor. The other jounins in the room immediately stood in alert of the commotion.

Gai towered over his fallen comrade, the man's normally cheerful and optimistic eyes were now shrouded with disdain and disgust. "You…" He spat out. "You are just too sorry to look at right now." His glare seemed deadlier than a Sharingan. "Consider our rivalry over… I'm not going to waste my time with someone as pathetic as you…" The black haired jounin commented before turning around and exiting the room.

Kakashi remained on the floor after the door was slammed close. Under other circumstances, he would have been glad, joyous even, that Gai had finally decided to leave him alone, but now, it simply hurt. He had let yet another person down.

* * *

Naruto ransacked through his apartment as he placed any essential he could think of into his bag. So far, the content of the sack was made up of ten cups of instant ramen, the blond still felt uneasy about such small number but he had forgotten to go shopping, the boy's ninja tools, and two changes of clothes.

The Jinchuuriki knew he was severely under packed, especially in the ramen department, for a potentially long mission, but the truth was the spiky haired boy was in a hurry. The Sharingan user was not worry about been late to meet with Jiraiya. The blond was sure that the old pervert wouldn't leave without him and he did not mind making the sannin wait a while. The problem lied somewhere else.

Back at the hospital, Naruto had left a near-hysteric Sakura. Needless to say, the pink haired girl was against her teammate going off n a mission the day after he was admitted into the hospital for sever chakra exhaustion, among other things. The kunoichi had slammed her hand onto the table and demanded the blond not to go through with the mission, she had said that she was worried about blond and did not wanted him to be placed in such a dangerous situation, even if it meant helping Sasuke waking up.

Realizing what his teammate's words had meant, a smile formed in the Jinchuuriki's face and he felt a little guilty at having dashed out on her. "I hope Lee can calm her down…" The boy commented as he closed his bag, still paying attention to the hall outside in case his heard his teammate approaching.

The genin was making his way out of his apartment, when suddenly a searing pain shot through his entire body. Naruto had to scramble to place a hand on one of his desks to prevent himself from falling onto the floor.

Panting, the Sharingan user tried to calm his body down as the pain started to recede. Finally regaining his composure, the blond started to pick up whatever he had drop when he sought support from the table.

As he stood up, the Jinchuuriki observed the black scroll he had just picked up. It was the Magenkyou Sharingan scroll that the Old Geezer had given him to learn how to use Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi all those months ago.

"_When you obtain your _third_…I will come and find you."_

Sapphire eyes frowned at the memory of the older Uchiha's words. Opening the scroll, Naruto scanned through it.

The text gave an explanation of both Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, depicted how chakra had to be controlled and distributed when performing the dojutsus, and warned about the draw backs of long term use of the jutsus.

No matter how much the blond read the scroll, there was no mention of a third dojutsu. Sighing in frustration, Naruto put the scroll away, deciding that it would be best to examine it more thoroughly some other time.

Resuming his way out the apartment, the young man prepared for a long and consuming mission.

* * *

Jiraiya stretched in his futon with a yawn. Shaking the drowsiness off, the legendary shinobi glanced at the unrolled mat next to him. "So he stayed out all night again…" He commented as he took out one of his notebooks and read the notes written on it.

According to the text, Jiraiya and the brat had been out of Konoha on their mission for about four weeks now. Needless to say, they had not been successful so far.

The sannin scratched his head. _"What am I doing wrong?"_ The man wondered. He and the boy had hit all the right places in all the towns they had visited, every casino, lottery stand, fancy restaurant, expensive shop, even a couple of arcades, but there was no trace of his former teammate.

Sighing, Jiraiya continued to grimace. The only thing that they had been able to learn during their travels was that the blond was exceptionally lucky at games of chance. Three times already his departed student's son had won the jackpot in slot machines.

The frustration of their fruitless search and the jealousy of the brat's good luck in casinos would have driven the sannin to simply abandon his mission and hit the nearest brothel, had the legendary man not found a new source of entertainment.

If the two Leaf nin had been on their mission for four weeks, then Naruto had been trying to learn the Rasengan for three and a half weeks, and the key word was _trying_.

After enduring four days of the blonde's constant nagging and pestering about the new jutsu he had promised him, Jiraiya had finally shown him the technique that Minato had developed.

It came as a shock to the seasoned ninja when Naruto had effortlessly succeeded through the water balloon and rubber ball stages. The young Jinchuuriki was making the jutsu that had cost the Konoha Yellow Flash three years of his life look easy. That was when Jiraiya introduced the spiky haired boy to the third stage of the jutsu, and the fun started.

The white haired man fondly remembered Minato's many attempts at forming the perfectly shape chakra sphere, as well as the cuts, explosions, and collateral damage that resulted out of them. Jiraiya had never expected that he would be granted an encore to that show, but the last three weeks with Naruto had present him a performance as magnificent as his former student had unwittingly given.

For all the chakra control the young genin had, and the leaps and bounds that he had done toward mastering the jutsu, the young man simply could not form a sphere. What the Jinchuuriki could do was create craters, cut himself all over, and sent his own body flying several feet in the air. It was a blast for old Jiraiya to see the brat struggle trying to learn the Rasengan.

Chuckling to himself, Jiraiya picked up some of the bandages discarded all over the floor. It appeared that the Naruto's regenerative power were no match for the Rasengan. The boy was getting cut faster than he could heal himself, and temporarily leaving scars for the first time the Sharingan user's body. Watching the brat wrestle with is own bandages was quite an amusing sight.

Throwing the dirty straps of cloth in the garbage, the sannin moved towards the room's window where a glorious sunrise could be witnessed. "Don't kill yourself, kid…" The white haired man softly said. "I wouldn't be able to bear another lost." Jiraiya stated before starting to prepare for the day.

* * *

Pants were the only thing that could be heard through the devastated field. Forcing his body to move, Naruto managed to crawl his way out of the sizeable crater that he had created during his _attempts_.

"Damn it…" The blond swore. "What the hell is wrong with this jutsu?!" He exclaimed as he held his right arm with is left hand.

The Jinchuuriki's right limp appeared as though it had gone against barrage of shuriken and lost. There were so many cuts running down the length of Naruto's arm that his regeneration abilities could not keep up. Wounds were healing at a much slower rate now and there were a couple of scars been left behind.

Lying on his back, the pair of sapphire eyes observed as yellow streaks broke through the darkness of night. "Great…" The blond complained. "I didn't even realize that I wasted the whole night…"

Naruto remembered when he first started learning the Rasengan. Bursting the water balloon and rubber ball had been easy enough, the boy simply had to send chakra down his arm and released from his palm. Inside those two sphere objects, the Sharingan user's chakra behaved just as it was supposed to, just as Jiraiya had instructed. But once the guides were taken away, the mere thought of shaping his outpouring chakra would cause the pseudo-Rasengan to blow up in Naruto's face.

"I just can't control my chakra!" The spiky haired boy shouted as he pushed his body off the ground and sat up. "Shaping the chakra, it's… It's impossible for me, completely out of my control…" He told himself as he clutched his right arm harder.

"_It's not a matter of control, Naruto-kun…"_

The blonde's eyes snapped open as memories started rushing into his mind.

"_Sometimes, chakra can be neither be forced nor controlled. Instead, you have to let its flux continue, and merely… Nudge it… The way you want it to go."_

Standing up, the Jinchuuriki extended his right arm.

"_For someone like you, it might be better to simply close your eyes, and let your instincts take over. I have complete confidence in you, Naruto-kun."_

A pair of azure eyes closed, following the advice that the Old Geezer had given during the time they had spent training.

Naruto forced his body to relax. His mind endeavored to push away all thoughts of failure, his experience with Uchiha Itachi, his inability to protect those he cared about. Instead, the blond thought about the time he spent playing in the Sandaime's office, eating ramen with Iruka-sensei, and those moment when he felt like he truly belong in Team 7. With his mind in an unfamiliar, yet pleasant peace, the genin started to gather chakra in the palm of his hand.

He didn't try to force the chakra, he didn't attempt to bend it to his will, and he didn't bother to foolishly try to control it. He simply let it flow, trying to track the chakra's movements as he imagined a perfectly shaped Rasengan.

The Jinchuuriki could hear the leaves twirling around him, could smell the morning dew from the nearby trees, feel the soft breeze touching his skin, as well warm ray of the rising son, and sense the powerful mass of chakra he was holding.

Slowly opening his eyes, the blond glanced at the end of his extended arm. Sapphire eyes widened and an old, almost goofy, grin formed in Naruto's face at the sight of a perfectly spherical jutsu. His chakra spun and danced beautifully and vigorously in his hand, as a Rasengan.

The grin soon ascended into a smile. "I… I did it!" The Sharingan user exclaimed happily, unable to take his eyes off the Rasengan. "I did it!"

A moment later, young shinobi went momentarily deft as the accumulation of chakra burst in a massive explosion, creating an even bigger crater and sending the spiky haired boy flying back.

"Heheh…" An odd laugh escaped Naruto as he found himself lying on the ground yet again. "Hahahah!" The blond laugh, and he continued laughing until his side hurt and tears escaped his eyes. "I did it… I did it…" He repeated as he remembered his successful Rasengan. "For those few seconds… I became stronger…"

* * *

**Itachi –** And so, we reach the end of another chapter.

**Lee – **Can we tell them the results now?

**Itachi – **_(Sighs)_ Yes… According to the poll, 53%, that is 29 out of the 54 readers who voted, opted to leave them as they are. So, we're going with that one.

**Lee –** "So stop bitching and wasting our time and your with flames, you whiners." Kisame-san asked me to read that, but that doesn't sound very youthful…

**Itachi –** _(Sighs)_ Anyways, we will do a similar poll sometime in the future. Now, for this chapter…

**Lee –** Phoenixsun wants to make two things clear. First, this and the next couple of chapters might feel a little rushed.

**Itachi –** Yes, there won't me that many changes and Phoenixsun wants to get to more… Important… Chapters as soon as possible.

**Lee –** Second, there is still no paring for this fic, the Naru/Hina and the Naru/Saku scenes were only there for Naru/Hina and Naru/Saku fans to enjoy.

**Itachi – **Furthermore, the scene with Kakashi-sempai was not for bashing. Kakashi-sempai is one of Phoenixsun's favorite characters and he only wrote the scene for drama and to appease some of the readers that were crying out for his blood.

**Lee –** I think Gai-sensei was great in the scene!

**Itachi –** That he was. Now that only leaves…

**Lee –** The next chapter! Well, we don't really have a title for it yet…

**Itachi – **Phoenixsun wants to write it before the year ends, but you can't hold him to his word when it comes to updates…

**Lee –** So all we can say is that an Akatsuki member will be appearing in it. Try to guess who it is!

**Itachi –** And with that, we leave you. Thanks for reading and please review, it helps Phoenixsun's writing a lot.


	20. Take Flight

**Itachi – **Good news, everyone! Not only did Phoenixsun managed to write another PHD chapter, but also Kisame stopped being a wuss.

**Kisame –** Hey! I saw myself get beheaded in the manga! Even though it wasn't real, it was still traumatizing in way that you wouldn't understand!

**Itachi –** Are you kidding me? I was already killed off and then they craved my eyes out of my corpse.

**Kisame – **Oh yeah…

**Itachi – **(Sigh) Anyways, Phoenixsun would like to apologize for the delay of this chapter.

**Kisame – **Hah! "Before the end of the year…" My ass.

**Itachi – **You are really asking to get defeated by Konohamaru… But that's in the future.

**Kisame –** What?!

**Itachi –** Here is PHD's 20th chapter…

* * *

_**Take Flight**_

Things were starting to look up for the Naruto these last couple of days. Sure, his arms were still covered by fresh bandages, but he could now maintain a Rasengan for well over three minutes before the spherical chakra mass would blow up on his face and, for most battle situations, three minutes should be enough to impale the jutsu into the opponent's gut. That, plus the fact that his wallet was becoming uncomfortably heavy due to his casino winnings made up for a fruitful week for the young Jinchuuriki.

If only the mission itself could go as smoothly.

Most of the day had already gone by and the Sharingan user was still following the Sannin through crowded streets.

Curses and grunts of frustration could occasionally be heard from Jiraiya's general direction as the white haired man marked everything his from casinos to lottery stands within two days of travel. "She has to be in one of these…" He spoke what had already become his mantra for the last couple of days.

"This is taking us nowhere…" Naruto commented. "I thought you had some idea about where this… Tsunade is, but we've been at this for over a month now and there is no trace of her." The blond criticized. "I sure hope that they never send you to look for me if I go missing during a mission…" He commented in a low voice, but still loud enough to make sure the older shinobi heard it.

The legendary pervert gritted his. "Perhaps I should have let your father drown that one time when we went to Wave while he was still a genin…" He shot back.

Shrugging the Sannin's comment off, the spiky haired boy simply brought his hands to the back of his head and silently continued to follow the senior nin.

With frustration having gotten the best of him, Jiraiya could no longer discern any of the illustration on his map. Letting out a roar in irritation at the offending piece of paper, the Sannin crumbled the map and shoved into one of his pockets. "Ok, Hotshot!" The white hared man called out as he turned around to look at the young Sharingan user. "Since according to you, I have no idea about what I'm doing, why don't you pick our next destination?!" He offered as he folded his arms and continued to regard the genin.

"Ok, if you have so much doubt in yourself, then I guess I'll do it." Naruto answered with a shrug of his shoulder, earning a glare from the white haired man. "I say we go to that place next." The Jinchuuriki stated as extended his right and pointed at his intended destination.

Jiraiya's eyes followed the direction indicated by the blond. "There?" He asked looking at the boy with confused eyes. "But that's only a restaurant!" The legendary shinobi pointed out.

The spiky haired genin nodded. "Yeah, get the hint." Naruto commented as he proceeded to fold his arms as well. "We haven't eaten anything since breakfast… Yesterday!" The Jinchuuriki reminded as he started to walk towards the establishment.

Grunting in defeat and sighting, the Sannin started after the young shinobi. "Very well, we'll take a break for food… But you're paying!" He exclaimed.

Naruto ignored Jiraiya's declaration. The blonde's eyes were solely on the restaurant's door while his mind was preoccupied hoping that they got ramen in the establishment.

As he followed the Sharingan user through the door, Jiraiya's trained eyes immediately scanned the room. The white haired man's field of vision was moving from one side of the restaurant to the other when suddenly, something caught his attention. "Oh… There is no way the kid is that lucky!" He exclaimed in a mix of surprise and frustration.

* * *

"I cannot believe you tracked me down!" Naruto was currently sitting with Jiraiya in front of a grouchy, well-endowed, blond woman, her nervous, black haired assistant, and a pig wearing a red jacket. Needless to say, Naruto was a little skeptical about the famed Tsunade, but the genin decided to leave the situation for the adults to deal with for now, because there a bowl of ramen right before him meriting all of the spiky haired boy's attention.

Jiraiya laughed at the angry face his old teammate was making. "And I can't believe that you lost so much in the casinos that you have to dine in a roadside restaurant instead of those fancy ones you enjoy so much!" The white haired man teased.

Looking from her teacher to male Sannin and to young boy preoccupied with his food, Shizune sighed. It had been a long and hard day for her and it showed no signs of letting up anytime soon.

Still been unable to mask her anger, Tsunade addressed the legendary pervert again. "So are you going to tell me the reason why you came looking for me?" The healer questioned. "Because I am damn well sure that this is no a social visit."

The goofy grin immediately disappeared from Jiraiya face as he regarded the female blond with a serious look. "I like to think that you are not so detached with your past that you have no idea of what has been happening in your own village." The white haired nin stated.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "First of all…" She began. "I have left everything from the past where it belongs." The healer clarified as she looked at her former teammate as if he had just wronged her somehow. "That been said, I did hear word that you were attacked by Hidden Sand." The kunoichi confessed.

Folding his arms and leaned back against his seat as he matched the blonde woman's glare. "And did you hear that Sarutobi-sensei was killed during the attack?"

A mild look of surprised appeared in the female Sannin's face but was shrugged off the next instant. "So… The Old Man is finally dead, uh?" She said with a bored look. "It took him long enough to roll over and die…" She added, her voice void of any sadness, compassion, or melancholy.

Next to the legendary healer, Shizune realized that the young spiky haired boy had suddenly stopped eating.

Unlike his teammate, Jiraiya's voice was tainted by a hint of anger. "Anyways… The Council is asking for your return to the village to receive the position of Godaime Hokage." There was a general surprised shock from the rest of the dinner party.

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed as he looked at the white haired man for an explanation.

Tsunade watched the other Sannin with a slightly bewildered look on her face before she started laughing. "Hahah… I swear, Jiraiya, you have the worse sense of humor." She dismissed her former teammate's statement. "Like I would even consider such a pathetic a stupid and stupid job. Only a deranged fool would take up such responsibilities that only lead you to a worthless death…"

If the blond woman had any more comments, they were drowned out when the spiky haired boy slammed his fist on the table. "You cannot be serious!" The Jinchuuriki said as he turned towards the older man again. "How can they even consider her to be the next Hokage?! You might as well give the title to Orochimaru!" Naruto exclaimed, his anger flaring out. "She doesn't deserve it! She will only taint the title of Hokage!" He added as he turned to glare at the healer.

The female Sannin regarded the genin, her eyes meeting the same level of contempt present in his. "Now listen here, you little brat!" She started. "You know nothing about the title of Hokage!" She exclaimed as she slammed her fist as well. "All you see is the glory and the praises, but you ignore the fact that all it does is break families up and condemns people to pathetic and lowly deaths!" She stated.

Naruto's glare intensified. "It's not only that!" The Sharingan user rejected the woman's declaration. "Hokage is the person that everybody and trust and look up to! He is the only person that is there for you and makes you feel safe in this dark and horrible world!" The Jinchuuriki fervently stated. "And I will be damned if I let you insult the title of Hokage, let along become one!"

The legendary healer snorted. "And who are you to stop me?" She questioned.

The genin's eyes narrowed as there were filled with determination. "I am Uzumaki Naruto and I will become Hokage!"

The statement left three thirds of the table surprised again.

Regaining her composure, the senior medic let out an all out laugh. "Hahahah… A worthless little brat like you become Hokage?!" Tsunade mocked as she regarded the Jinchuuriki with eyes that matched her tone.

Returning the glare, the Sharingan user gritted his teeth before answering back. "I would be a better Hokage that you could ever be!" He firmly stated.

"Is that so…?" A smirk appeared in Tsunade's face as, next to her, Shizune sighed.

* * *

It was Jiraiya's turn to sigh now. The whole situation had spun out of the Toad Sannin's control and he was now standing on the side of the street with is teammate's student as said teammate and his own student were about to face off.

The smirk still resided on the legendary healer's face. "Ok, here is the deal…" She started. "You will have three tries, if you manage to lay a single finger on me, I will take back everything I said about the Hokages." The blond woman announced. "But, when you fail, you will have to pay for all my gambling debts from now on!"

From her position, Shizune wished that she could warn the spiky haired boy about what he was truly getting into. He would have to pull missions 24/7 to try to keep up with her teacher's gambling sprees.

Determination shined brightly in Naruto's eyes as he nod his head in agreement of the terms. He was going to make her take back all of her insults to the Third and the title of Hokage, no matter what. After tightening his headband, the genin dashed forward while closing his fist.

It was nothing but a blur for the Jinchuuriki. One moment his eyes were focused on the female Sannin's face, and the next her face was replaced by her fist flying swiftly towards him.

The impact was sickening, and the Sharingan user found himself been flung back. Twisting his body in midair, Naruto managed to land on his feet. _"Damn it…"_ Before hesitation could seep in, the blond genin charged forward once again and brought his hands together. "Kage Bushin no Jutusu!"

Immediately, four identical replicas of the spiky haired boy appeared in the air in front of the medic nin, falling towards her. "You at least have some nice tricks…" Tsunade commented before graving the closes clone by the arm and flinging it violently against the other four, reducing the quartet to clouds of smoke.

The original Naruto's fist suddenly came flying through the smoke towards the healer's abdomen.

In an instant, the Sannin flicked her leg up, catching the genin's chin and sending him skyward.

Naruto fell hard on the ground several feet away.

"That makes two." Tsunade reminded the young man currently trying to get back to his feet. "Shizune, make sure to get direction for the nearest gambling house." She commanded her student.

Wiping the blood that was running down his mouth, the Jinchuuriki gave the kunoichi his deadliest glare yet. "I… I am not going to lose to you!" The spiky haired boy declared as he extended his right arm and grabbed his wrist with his left hand. Remembering his training from the last couple of days, Naruto started to gather chakra in the palm of his hand. "Rasengan!"

The healer was surprised by the sight of the young genin dashing towards him with a perfectly spherical Rasengan at hand. Snapping out of her little trance, Tsunade brought her fist downward, driving it to the ground and causing a large boulder to rise up between her and the attacking boy.

The moment the Rasengan connected with the boulder, the piece of rock exploded, causing dust to devour the entire street.

Even through the clouds left by the explosion, Tsunade could still see the spiky haired brat's figure approaching. The medic nin prepared a strengthened fist to shut down the immature genin once and for all.

The punch was never released as the Sannin's eyes caught sight of the Jinchuuriki's and was left frozen in shock by the presences of white comas around a white dot in both of the young man's eyes.

Taking advantage of his opponent's astonishment, Naruto immediately swung his fist towards the blond woman's face.

Barely been able to recover from her surprise, the healer only had time to move her body slightly back, dodging the full force of the punch, but not enough to save her chin from been grazed by it. Jumping back, Tsunade kept her eyes focused on the spiky haired boy's Sharingan.

The unlucky gambler could still remember when Uchiha Kagome confessed her relationship with Minato and her expecting motherhood to her. At that moment, Tsunade had told the young woman how her child would either be a garden variety Uchiha or have no trace of the clan, because the upcoming child's two heritages were too dominant to come to a middle ground. Yet, here she was, looking at a miniature version of Minato donning a pair of blue and white Sharingan eyes.

"I won…!" Naruto stated as he panted where he stood.

Jiraiya and Shizune had barely being able to catch the moment when the younger blonde's knuckle scratched his former teammate.

The female Sannin snorted. "I guess you did…" She admitted with just a hint of frustration in her voice. "I take back what I said about the Hokage… But not about you ever becoming one." The legendary medic nin's statement surprised the shinobi present. "The only reason you won was because you caught me by surprise with the Yondaime's jutsu and the Uchiha's Kekkei Genkai." She pointed out. "How can you defend the Leaf as Hokage if all you do is copy other? You are just depending on the strength of deceased Kages and an extinct clan!" The healer declared.

Naruto's glare became deadly once again at the healer's words. "That's not true! I rely on my strength!" The Sharingan user firmly stated.

"Then prove it…" Tsunade simply stated as she continue to observe the young man in front of her. At the look of confusion on the genin's face, the blond woman elaborated. "Let's make another bet. Prove to me that you can acquire power of your own and I will acknowledge that you could become a Hokage." She offered. "But, if you are unable to do so after a week, you will not only have to quit your foolish ambition of becoming Hokage, but also quit being a ninja all together."

The Jinchuuriki's eyes widened at the possible consequences of the proposition presented to him. _"Quit being a shinobi…?"_ The statement resounded in his mind.

Eyeing the spiky haired boy with a mix of mock and curiosity, the Sannin decided to nudge him. "What happened with the confidence from a second ago?" She questioned. "Ok, what if, in case you do manage to win, not only will I acknowledge that you have potential to become a Hokage, but I will also give you this." Surprising the pair of shinobi spectators, Tsunade presented her necklace to the genin. "My Grandfather's, the Shodai Hokage, necklace." The medic nin smiled at the look of surprise on the young man's face. "So, what do you say?"

* * *

Shizune walked the already familiar path through the forest near the village they were currently staying at. Entering the clearing for the fourth time that week, the black haired woman did not longer felt the urge to gasp in surprise at the sight that greeted her.

It seemed that an explosion had gone off in the center of the clearing. There were burned trees, broken trunks, and craters all around the blond genin lying on the ground.

"Naruto-kun, you better not be dead." The kunoichi state as she walked towards the young man.

After stirring a little on the ground, the Jinchuuriki forced himself to sit up. "Good morning, Shizune-san." The boy managed to get out.

The healer smiled at the Sharingan user. "It's already well into the afternoon." She informed and proceeded to watch the spiky haired boy curse in response and tried to get his already bruised and burned body off the ground. "Why don't you eat something before you start for the day?" The jounin offered as she revealed the bowls of ramen she had brought to the blond. Shizune had already realized that the young shinobi would simply ignore all the fruits and vegetables that she would bring him.

Giving in to his hunger, Naruto sat back down next to the medic nin and thanked her before going to work on the bowl of ramen.

As she watched the genin devour his food, Shizune did a quick scan of the teen's body, noting all the damage it had taken during such a short period of time. "Why are you so determined, Naruto-kun?" She asked. "Does the title of Hokage really mean this much to you?"

Putting the empty bowl down, the Jinchuuriki took a couple of seconds before answering. "Just a couple of months ago, I was infatuated with the idea of becoming the Hokage, so that the village would have no other choice but to acknowledge me." He started to explain. "But now, I've become disillusioned with the Leaf…"

Shizune could not help be reminded of her teacher by the Sharingan user's words. "Then, why…?" She asked again.

Naruto gave the kunoichi a small smile. "Because I still love the title and the idea of Hokage." He answered, surprising the medic nin. "And it is the only thing I have left, from the only one I had while I was growing up." He finished before standing up.

The black haired healer watched young Leaf nin gave her his thanks before turning around and walking towards the edge of the clearing. It had been five days since the bet with Tsunade had been made and the genin had yet to check in on the hotel, having spent the last four days straight in the forest training until he passed out. Part of Shizune wanted the young man's work to pay off, but the other feared for the boy because, if he was willing to go this far for a bet, how would his life as a shinobi be like?

* * *

The last twelve hours had completely sent Shizune's week to hell.

It all started when she walked into Naruto's training spot on the evening of the sixth day to find the blond lying unconscious and unresponsive in the middle of the clearing. The healer immediately put her medical abilities to use and, after doing everything she could at the time, brought the still lifeless genin back with her to the inn.

After locating an unusually pensive Tsunade so that she might be able to further help the young man, her teacher proceeded to knock her out. Shizune was awaken by, a surprisingly conscious, Naruto the next morning and the two immediately set off to find the Sannins.

Finding Jiraiya was as easy as walking out the front door, but seeing the white haired shinobi in the weakened state her teacher had left him in, the black haired woman had no choice but to reveal the whole truth about the proposition Orochimaru had made to Tsunade.

The three managed to locate the other two Sannin just in time to save the healer from Orochimaru's subordinate, Kabuto.

The fight that followed was inevitable, Jiraiya moved to deal with his former best friend, while Shizune and Naruto were left to make sure the bespectacled young man would not get near Tsunade. As soon as the white haired man gave the Snake Sannin his attention, the blond genin asked the kunoichi to leave Kabuto to him and to focus on defending her teacher. "Because, if I cannot deal with him, how can I stand against the real monsters out there." Had been the explanation that the spiky haired boy gave her.

Now, while the two male Sannin had work themselves to a stalemate, the medic nin had to watch horrified as broken and bloodied Naruto struggled to pull his body off the ground while a smirking Kabuto stood a couple of feet away.

All around the two young men was prove of their battle. Scattered flames, both normal and black ones, a couple of craters from Rasengans that missed their intended target, and the Sharingan user's blood marked their warzone. Yet, every time she tried to intervene, the blond boy would insist on been left to handle the situation alone.

"Wow, if this is my handy work, I would hate to see what one of those 'real monsters' would do." Kabuto's mocking words snapped Shizune out of her train of thought and pull her attention back to the battle.

Panting heavily, Naruto glared at the grey haired shinobi. "Damn you…!" The Jinchuuriki managed to bark out.

The blond threw a kunai at his opponent. Before the blade could reach its target, the Leaf genin set his Sharingan eyes on it, covering with black flames the explosive tag he had attach to it, and causing a sizeable explosion.

Knowing better, the spiky haired boy immediately looked up where the bespectacled young man had jump to avoid the explosion. Kabuto's body was currently falling towards the younger shinobi, the former Leaf nin's hands were already glowing with chakra, prepared to strike. With a quick sequence of hand seals, the blond raised a granite wall between him and his opponent, which the bespectacled shinobi proceeded to smash with his Chakra Scalpels.

As soon as Kabuto's face was visible to the granite rubble, Naruto sent chakra towards his eyes. "Amaterasu!" The spiky haired boy called out. Unfortunately, the moment that the medic nin's body was covered by the black flames, it detonated, causing a powerful explosion and sending the genin flying back.

"Naruto-kun, please stop this! You can't fight him!" Shizune screamed for the young blond to come to his senses.

Emerging from the ground, the spy observed his the effects of his attack. At the absence of any sign that indicated that the Sharingan user would back down, the smirk in the former Leaf genin's face widened. "Such tenacity at the face of certain death…" Kabuto started. "You certainly take after the late Sandaime Hokage, Naruto-kun." The gray haired man's smirk widened just as the spiky haired boy's eyes did. "Orochimaru tells me how the Third was so adamantly refusing to die, even when his former student's sword pierced right through him."

Shizune could have sworn that she heard something snap somewhere.

The moment after the words left the young man's mouth, Naruto was standing just a few feet from him with a Rasengan in his hand.

The blond was so preoccupied with ramming the Rasengan into his opponent, that he was barely able to notice when Kabuto grabbed his wrist and flung his body into the ground. Before Naruto could even think about kicking himself off the ground, the medic nin gave him a jab with enough force to burry the genin deeper into ground.

"Naruto!" Seen the black haired woman running towards him, the grey haired young man jumped to a save distance.

Not caring about what the young Sharingan user wanted, Shizune immediately started to administrate medical aid. "N… No, don't…" Were Naruto's first words as soon as he regained consciousness.

The healer refused to acknowledge the young man's request. When the genin tried to stand up, the kunoichi immediately placed a hand on his chest to hold him down. "You are done, Naruto-kun." She stated.

The Jinchuuriki moved a hand towards the jounin's and grabbed hold of her wrist. "Please, Shizune-san… Let me do this…" The boy requested once more.

"Stop it!" The shout caused both Naruto and Shizune to look back. Tsunade had shaken off some of her shock she had received from witnessing blood. "Don't you care about your own life?!" She questioned. "You'll accomplish nothing by getting yourself killed here!"

The younger blond remained silent for several seconds before he simply removed Shizune's hand off his chest and stood up. "I've made a promise, to both the person I love the most and the one I hate." The Sharingan user informed. "I promised them that I would never back down and that I will continue to keep stronger my own way until I could protect those I care about, how could I face them if were to give up now?"

The medic Sannin glared at the young man. "What's a stupid promise compare to your own life?!" She asked in anger and frustration.

"Because that promise is the reason I have to keep on living!" Naruto answered back. "As someone who has so little, I will not allow this to be taken away from me." He stated as he stepped out of the small crater that his body had made. "So long as I have my promise I'll know I haven't lost myself in the darkness and hatred that plagues this world." The young man firmly stated.

Both kunoichi sat in awe at the determination that radiate from the Leaf genin.

Setting his eyes on Kabuto, the Sharingan user brought his hands together.

Tiger, Dragon, Rat, Bird, Ox, Snake, Dog, Monkey, Tiger.

Everyone was able to feel the spike of chakra in the area. "I am Uzumaki Naruto, son of Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Kagome, and shinobi of Konohagakrue!" The blond declared as he extended his right arm and grabbed his wring with his left arm. "And this is the power I have acquire for the sake of those that got me this far and to protect the people who are precious to me!" Flames appeared in Naruto's right hand, immediately enveloping most of his arm. "Houyoku!"

This time, Shizune was sure that she heard something snap.

The flames danced gracefully, yet dangerously in the Jinchuuriki hand as his gaze fell solely on the grey haired medic. "I'm not going to lose to you, Kabuto." The spiky haired boy stated.

If the former Leaf shinobi was intimidated by his opponent's newest jutsu, he did not let it show. "You truly are an interesting specimen, Naruto-kun…" The young man commented. "After I kill you, I will personally dissect your body." He added.

The two ninjas immediately charged for one another. One's hands covering in chakra, while fire adorned the other's.

The confidence that he would never let the Katon jutsu touch him was so much, that the only thing that Kabuto could see where the vital points on Naruto's body where he was going to strike. It was already too late for the medic nin when he realized that the trail of fire his opponent was leaving behind had taken the shape of a giant wing.

"Aaargh!" With a thunderous roar, Naruto raised his hand and brought it down, causing the flame wing to rise and fall along, as though about to take flight, and rain down an inferno on a bewildered Kabuto.

A large explosion follow suit, swallowing the two shinobi.

The wait for the dust to settle was unbearable for Tsuande and Shizune. Finally, a form jumped out of the cloud and fell to the floor. The bespectacled man was almost unrecognizable with most of his body covered with severe burns. There was no sign of Kabuto getting back on his feet anytime soon.

When the dust finally cleared, Tsunade's eyes were able to discern the young Leaf genin standing before a sizeable crater. Naruto turned around and smirked at her. "By the way… I won the bet…" He announced before passing out.

* * *

Naruto suddenly sat up with a jolt. The Sharingan user immediately started to look frantically at his surroundings.

"Hey, hey, calm down." The blonde's head snapped towards the direction where the voice had come from. Jiraiya was setting in a bed next to the boy's with his writing material out. "You've been out of commission for over twenty four hours." He informed the genin.

The revelation caused the young man's eye to widen. "Then what about Orochimaru and Kabuto…?!" He asked quickly.

The legendary pervert laughed at the spiky haired boy's urgency. "Don't worry about that, we chase them away." The man answered before starting to laugh.

Slowly, Naruto forced his body and reluctantly lowered back down to the bed. "What now?" The Jinchuuriki asked.

Jiraiya jog down a couple of observations on his notebook before answering. "Well, as soon as we are fit to travel, we'll be heading back to the village."

The genin look at the white haired man from his bed. "And what about Tsunade and Shizune?" He asked.

"Oh, they're coming with us…" Was the short answer that the boy received. The look of confusion and surprised was hilarious for the Sannin, but nevertheless he decided to explain further. "It seem like your little show back there knock something loose inside Tsunade, or perhaps it knock something back to its rightful place." He commented before giving the young man a bright smile. "She's going back to Konoha to become the Godaime Hokage." The white haired man announced.

The genin remained silent for several seconds before his gaze left the writer and set on the room's ceiling. "I'm still not convinced that she's Hokage material…" Naruto commented, earning another bout of laughter from Jiraiya.

* * *

"I was beginning to fear you were not going to show up…" Okina commented as on a rest stop along a mountain trail.

"You know I would show up, as long as…"

Okina smiled. The graying shinobi reached into his inside pocked, taking out a sizeable amount of money and placing it next to him on the bench. The old man waited until the money was taken from its place before turning around. "It is good to see you again, Kakuzu-senpai." He greeted his fellow former Waterfall shinobi.

It was strange for a veteran and seasoned shinobi like Okina to gaze at his senior and se an essentially young ninja.

The Akatsuki member simply gave a nod to return the greet before going down to business. "You know that there is no much that I can tell you." The Missing nin stated.

"I know, I know." The bearded old man said. "You cannot tell me how Akatsuki's hunt for the Gobi is going or how the Sanbi managed to disappear from the radar." Okina commented. After a minute of silence passed between the two Missing nins, the youngest started again. "You can talk to me about what you have yet to do, like the capture of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki." He offered.

Kakuzu's green eyes narrowed. "You are always interested in the fox's Jinchuuriki, why is that?" The bounty hunter asked.

The graying man laughed again. "Because, unlike you Kakuzu-senpai, I truly believe that this up and coming generation will surpass all of us." He commented. "And I am willing to bet that Naruto-chan will be in the frontlines of this new wave that is rising."

The black haired man remained silent at his kouhai's words.

"Anyways." Okina started again. "Tell me about Naruto-chan, what does Akatsuki think of him?"

A look of confusing was barely detectable in the Akatsuki member's eyes. "Nothing more than a target." He answered plainly.

It was Okina's time to look confused. "What? Akatsuki did not make any observation? Or maybe gage his abilities as a shinobi?" The younger man proposed, starting to become disappointed with the red cloud wearing organization.

Kakuzu's eyes narrowed. "When would we do that?" He asked. At the question, Okina's black eyes started to widen, and what came next confirmed his suspicions. "Akatsuki has yet to make any move on the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki."

* * *

Houyoku – Phoenix Wingbeat (Made up)

* * *

**Kisame – **Plot-hole! I call plot-hole!

**Itachi –** What are you talking about?

**Kisame –** There is a plot-hole in this chapter.

**Itachi –** (Sigh) Do you even pay attention during the staff meetings? Phoenixsun already knows that it looks like a plot-hole.

**Kisame –** Really? What else did we talk about in the meeting?

**Itachi –** Why do I even try…? Anyways, the newest arc will begin with next chapter.

**Kisame – **And while some of you may not like the beginning, please hold back your bitching and moaning for a bit, this is when PHD really starts going off.

**Itachi –** Didn't Phoenixsun told you to be cortious?

**Kisame –** He may have mentioned something along those lines.

**Itachi – **(Sigh) Well, thank you for reading PHD until now, Phoenixsun is going to try to get through this arc as soon as possible, so hopefully see you soon in chapter 21.


	21. Predestined Hatred

**Itachi – **And we are finally back after almost three months.

**Kisame** – Yeah, I remember Phoenixsun saying that he wanted this chapter before the end of April. Hah! Get he gets me every time!

**Itachi –** You have no self control, do you…

**Kisame –** Whatever… It seems that Phoenixsun lost pretty much all inspiration and motivation to write this chapter, hence the three months instead of three weeks.

**Itachi –** So, not to continue to waste time waiting for inspiration to return, Phoenixsun has also rewritten the first two chapter of PHD and their new version should be up by now.

**Kisame –** That doesn't mean that he's now going to rewrite all the old chapters. Who knows when he'll do this again?

**Itachi –** Also, we're sorry if some of you were disappointed with the previous chapter.

**Kisame –** Chapter 20 was written with several objectives in mind, which it accomplished, and now that they are out of the way, the story can continue its course.

**Itachi – **And with that, here's PHD's chapter 21 and the start of the new arc.

* * *

_**Predestined Hatred**_

Black and white, it was all that she could see.

No, there was also the crimson color of the blood spread everywhere, framing and highlighting the bodies of black flames and white lightning.

She called out for them, shouted at them stop as her tears ran down her cheeks. Unfortunately, all of the girl's pleas were drowned by the crackle of the fire and the rumble of the thunder.

Their relentless charges continued regardless of the girl's desperate attempts. Little by little, the black and white was being replaced by red.

"Stop…" Sakura cried as she fell to her knees, unable to watch the scene before her any longer. They were shouting now as well, but the pink haired girl didn't know if it was because of pain or anger. "Sasuke-kun… Naruto…"

The girl could feel the heat from the blonde's flames and hear the charging of the raven haired boy's lightning as the two boys attacked each other with all the intention to kill their opponent.

How it had come to this, she did not know, neither was she aware of any way in which she could stop her teammates' actions. "Sasuke-kun, Naruto, please stop…" She begged them between sobs, but was still ignored.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion went off somewhere in front of the kunoichi.

Her heart stopped as her eyes widened in dread. She could feel the rough debris blowing past her form, rubbing against her body like sandpaper. Slowly, Sakura looked up. "No…" Through her tear stained eyes the girl could see the smoking crater where her teammates had been and no trace of black or white left. "NO!"

* * *

Sakura woke up with a start and immediately look at her surroundings. She was in one of the white, very white rooms of Konoha's hospital seating beside the bed. "Oh… It's Sasuke-kun's room…" The pink haired girl realized as her gaze fell on the still unresponsive Uchiha laying just a about a foot from her.

The kunoichi had come to visit her teammate the day before, something which had become almost a routine during the last month, and after once again convincing the nurse on duty to let her stay pass visiting hours, she had ended up falling asleep and dreaming about her teammates.

Inside her chest, Sakura's heart speeded off once again at the memory of her dream, of her nightmare.

The images of Sasuke and Naruto trying to kill each other had being terribly vivid in the girl's mind, she could still fill the explosions thundering in her ears, and she could have sworn that she had smelled her teammates' skin burning by fire and lightning.

Sighing, the pink haired girl tried to grip her heart through her chest. It had not being the first time she had a dream like that. Ever since the Forest of Death when she witnessed how Sasuke and Naruto went as far as to use lethal force against each other, Sakura had being worried that things would violently escalate between the two boys once again, and ever since Naruto had left, the nightmares had returned.

"_But Sasuke-kun said that he will not be seeking a fight with Naruto anytime soon…"_ The girl reasoned as she remembered the raven haired genin's words. _"Well… He said that they will fight someday, but not like in that nightmare."_ Her gazed regarded the sleeping Uchiha intensely.

"_We will still be Team Seven…"_ Sasuke voice echoed inside of her. _"We will still be friends."_

The kunoichi gripped her heart tighter. _"Please…"_ She asked whoever was in charge of Team Seven's fate. _"That's all I ask…"_ Sakura pleaded as he closed her eyes tightly in an effort for her wish to be heard.

"Please tell me you haven't secluded yourself in this hospital during all the time I was gone." The pink haired genin's head whipped around at the sound of the familiar voice.

Right by the room's entrance Naruto stood leaning against the door's threshold with a faint smirk on his face.

"Naruto…" The blond heard his teammate whisper and his smirk grew slightly. "Naruto!" Still emotionally charged because of her dream, the pretty girl abruptly stood up and rushed towards the boy.

The spiky haired boy was caught off guard when Sakura threw herself at him. "Sa… Sakura!" The Sharingan user exclaimed, his cool demeanor from just a few moments ago had being completely shattered by the sheer surprise of his teammate's actions.

The girl buried her face in the blonde's chest as her right fist started punching it lightly. "You idiot!" She shouted at him.

The Jinchuuriki gave a confused look at the top of the kunoichi's head. _"Is she crying…?"_ He wondered with concern.

Sakura continued punching the stunned gennin. "How could you just leave me like that?" She asked him. "Why did you take so long to come back?" She managed to yell at him between sobs.

Naruto scratched his head in confusion. He did not know what to do because he wasn't too sure of the reason why she was mad at him. _"Is it because I left before being properly discharged from the hospital or because I took a month to come back?"_ The spiky haired boy questioned in his mind as the pretty girl hitting his chest continued to call him an idiot. He wasn't even sure if she was actually angry.

"Ooh, so this is why you were so desperate to get back to the village?" The blonde's eyes moved from the top of Sakura's head to the smirking woman that was now standing behind him.

Tsunade watched with satisfaction as the blushing boy clumsily tried to get the pink haired girl to compose herself. Despite the Sharingan user's bravado and aloof attitude, he clearly had no experience dealing with the fairer sex.

Mustering enough courage, Naruto placed his hands on Sakura's shoulder and gently pushed her back. "Sakura…" He tried to get her attention. "This is Tsunade, one of the Three Sannin, and she's here to help Sasuke." The spiky haired genin informed.

At the revelation, a fierce blush invaded the pink haired girl's face as she gazed at the older woman. "Oh… It is an honor to meet you, Tsunade-sama!" The girl gave a courteous bow. "My name is Haruno Sakura." She civilly presented herself.

The healer smiled at the girl. "It's very nice to finally meet you." The Sannin informed. "Naruto talked a lot about you." She added and stole a glance at the younger blond to see his returning blush. Moving her eyes across the room, the medic's gaze fell on the unconscious Uchiha.

Sakura watched quietly as the legendary kunoichi walked passed her and positioned herself by Sasuke's bedside. The pink haired genin held her breath as the blond woman took her teammate's medical file, her trained eyes moving between it and the sleeping young man.

Several minutes of silences passed between the occupants of the room until Tsunade finally put the file down and moved her chakra infused hands over Sasuke's body. The woman placed one hand over the raven haired boy's forehead while the other hovered just barely above his chest. After a couple of minutes of intense concentration, the Sannin removed her hands from her patient and stepped back.

The conscious members of Team Seven immediately gave anxious looks at the older kunoichi.

"He'll be fine." Tsunade informed, knowing that was what the two kids really wanted to know. "I have alleviated most of the trauma he suffered. He should wake up within a day or so."

Letting out a heavy sigh of relief, Sakura instantly thanked the Sannin before moving to her teammate's bed side.

The medic nin turned to the younger blond. "Well, I guess I'll go attend to your other friend. From what Jiraiya tells me, his situation is more complicated than this." She commented as she massaged one of her shoulder and moved to leave the room.

"I'll go with you." Naruto said as he pulled his body off the wall he had being leaning against during his teammate's treatment.

"I think you should stay." The soon to be appointed Hokage stated. "You know, to give your teammate support and such." She added as she left the boy behind, not before sending a knowing looked between him and the pink haired girl.

The Jinchuuriki sighed in defeat as his gaze moved to look at Sakura's back hunched over Sasuke. Suddenly, the blond missed the light punching on his chest.

Remembering the small bench just outside the room, the Sharingan user tried to make as little noise as possible while passing through the door's threshold on his way towards it.

"Gasp! Naruto-kun!"

At the sound of his name being said in surprised, the spiky haired boy turned to look at the source. Searching sapphire eyes met widened lavender ones.

Hinata's face was covered by a vicious blush under the blonde's gaze. "Na… Naruto-kun… You are back…" She struggled to let out.

A smile formed on the Sharingan user's face. "Yeah, just this morning."

The Hyuuga smiled brightly in response. "I'm glad." She confessed the girl. "You took off all of the sudden and Lee-san told me that you left with Jiraiya-sama, but it was so long ago that I was starting to get worry…" Suddenly, the blush in the pretty kunoichi's face intensified as she realized what she had said.

"You were?" Naruto asked as he tried to give the girl a reassuring smile to ease her blush. "I'm sorry. I never meant to worry you."

The young man's attempt to appease his former classmate failed as the Byakugan user became even more flustered. "You don't have anything to apologize for, Naruto-kun!" She assured. "It's… It's just that last time you were… And I did… And then you…" The Hyuuga decided to stay quiet and look at the floor.

Smiling once again, Naruto sat on the bench by the wall and motioned Hinata to take the seat next to him. Shyly the girl took the offered space on the bench.

"So, what are you doing at the hospital, Hinata?" The blond asked. "You're not hurt, are you?"

The girl immediately shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that." The blue haired genin informed. "It is just that Neji-niisan lost one of his shirts and he has already look everywhere in the Hyuuga compound for it, so I told him that I would check to see if he left it here during his stay." She explained.

A small laugh escaped the spiky haired boy. "You would think that he would be able to keep better track of things with his Byakugan." He commented, earning a giggle from the Hyuuga. "So, was it here?"

Hinata shook her head again. "No, I am starting to think he left it at the training ground or something." The girl said as her eyes drifted to the room where her former classmate had come out from. "How is Sasuke-kun doing?" She asked.

The spiky haired boy let out a sigh. "Well, I brought the Sannin Tsunade here to check him over. She did some medic stuff, and said that he should wake up soon." The blond informed as he glanced at the girl next to him. The Jinchuuriki was surprised to find her with a shocked expression on her face. "What?"

Fighting back the surprise, Hinata look at the boy with sheer admiration. "So the rumors are true, someone really did brought Tsunade-sama back to the village to become the next Hokage, and it was you, Naruto-kun!" She exclaimed.

Naruto's astonishment increased. "Rumors? Already?" The genin rolled his eyes. "News sure travels fast in this village…" He commented. "But yeah, she's here to become the Godaime Hokage, if you can believe that."

Hinata could not help but laugh a little at how her former classmate saw the appointment of who will be his boss and leader.

"Anyways, she's now off to examine Lee." He informed. "And told me to stay here and wait for Sasuke to wake up." The blond added, suddenly feeling exhausted from all of his travels during the last month.

The blue haired heiress regarded spiky haired boy that was tremendously important to her. "Do you mind if I wait here with you and Sakura-chan?" She asked.

Naruto managed a nod and a smile through his unexpected weariness.

Hinata smiled back, moving slightly closer to the blond, and enjoying how easy it had become to simply talk to him.

* * *

"Sasuke-kun!"

Waking up with a start, Naruto immediately look at his surroundings expecting to find the Ero-sennin having one of his perverted dreams. Instead, the blonde's face became flushed at the sight of a pretty blue haired girl sleeping with her head resting on his shoulder.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Hearing the sound that had woken him up again, the Jinchuuriki's head whipped towards his teammate's room where Sakura was now standing over the raven haired boy's bed.

"What's hap…?" Hinata started asking, but was unable to finish her question when she realized where her head was resting and how close she was to the spiky haired boy.

"I think Sasuke is waking up, come on…" The Sharingan user said as the two of them stood up and walked into the room.

In his bed, the raven haired boy had started stirring and grunting. As the three genin gather around, the raven haired boy's eyes slowly started to open. Despite the deliberate pace in which the eyelids were coming apart, a month of darkness proved too much for him as they shut themselves again.

"Sasuke-kun, you're awake!" Sakura exclaimed at the sight of the Uchiha's consciousness.

Struggling to open his eyes again, the raven haired boy tried to focus his returning eyesight on his teammates. "Sakura… Is that you…?" He asked and assumed that the slight up and down motion of the blurry pink figure in front of him meant that she was nodding. "What happened…?"

"You're in the hospital… You've been out for a while." Naruto answered.

Shifting his eyes towards the voice, Sasuke could now barely recognize his blond teammates standing between Sakura and Hinata. Tired of the blurry images, the Uchiha decided to close his eyes again, rubbing them with his hand, and tried to open them once more.

Before a noted improvement could have being made in his eyesight, the raven haired boy suddenly found himself wrapped tightly in a pair of arms.

"Sasuke-kun!" The pink haired kunoichi cried. "I was so worried! You wouldn't wake up!" The girl said as she buried her head in his shoulder.

A red tint spread through Sasuke's face. "Um… I'm sorry…" He apologized, feeling guilty all of the sudden.

"I am glad that you are finally awake, Sasuke-kun." Hinata said sincerely, remaining by the spiky haired boy's side.

Sakura finally pulled away from the Uchiha. "Are you alright now, Sasuke-kun?" She asked. "Do you need anything?"

Still taken back by the raw display of concern and affection he had being presented with, the Sharingan user search for an answer that would ease his teammate's worry. "Um… Not really, I'm fin…" But at that moment, his stomach decided to take over and let out a loud growl that embarrassed the raven haired boy.

Naruto and Hinata snickered and giggled respectably in response, but the pink haired girl gasp in surprise. "Of course, you must be hungry after a whole month without eating anything!" The kunoichi exclaimed. "I'll go get you something to eat!" She said moving towards the door before her teammate could protest.

"I'll accompany you, Sakura-chan." The Hyuuga offered before following Sakura out of the room, leaving the two Sharingan users behind.

Both boys remained silent for several minutes. "We took a pretty good beating, huh?" The blond finally commented, though his eyes moved away from his teammate.

Sasuke nodded numbly. He had regained full recollection of the events that landed him in the hospital. "I guess so…" The silence returned between the two genin. "You… You met my brother before…" The raven haired boy did not ask.

Naruto took several seconds before responding to his teammate's statement. "Yeah…"

"When…?" Sasuke questioned, his eyes set on his bed sheath just like his teammate's were set on the window.

The blond hesitated before answering. "Months ago…" He confessed before pausing for a couple of seconds. "You could say… That he was the first person that _these_ eyes of mine ever saw." The Sharingan user informed.

The raven haired boy nodded in understanding. "I see…" He stopped as well. "He… They were here for you, why?" The genin inquired.

After stealing a quick glance at his teammate, the spiky haired boy's eyes focused more intensely at the window. "I don't know." The Jinchuuriki lied.

Silence set on the room yet again. "You said I've being in this hospital for a month…" Sasuke finally started again. "When did you wake up?"

"About a moth ago…" Naruto answered in a low voice. "On the next day." He revealed. "But he went a lot easier on me, he…" The blond tried to add, but his words soon started to sound hollow. "That genjutsu he used on you…" The Sharingan user tried again. "Tsukuyomi… What did he show you in it?" He asked.

Sasuke let out a small scoff. "Tsukuyomi… So that's its name…" The raven haired boy commented before going silent. "Naruto…" He suddenly started again, his voice taking a very serious tone. "Do you hate me?"

Naruto was taken back by his teammate's unexpected question. "Why the hell are you asking that?" The genin questioned as his eyes finally set on the raven haired boy. The severe look on the other Sharingan user's face told the blond how essential an answer was. "No." The Jinchuuriki said firmly. "I do not hate you."

The raven haired shinobi continued to observe his teammate for a few seconds before finally looking down.

"And what about you?" The blond asked, his eyes still not leaving the young man setting on the bed. "Do you hate me, Sasuke?"

The recovering Uchiha did not answered. The only sign of acknowledge that the question was heard was a faint grit of teeth and the boy's fist closing tightly on his bed sheath.

"We're back!" Sakura announced as she and Hinata walked into the room, both carrying several different products from the hospital's cafeteria. Sensing the heavy air in the room, her green eyes looked from one teammate to the other. "What happened? What's wrong?" She asked with dread evident in her tone.

None of the boys answered.

* * *

"So then I use the Oiroke no Jutsu just as Iruka-sensei was about to realize that I was cheating in the test!"

Two boys burst out in laughter in the middle of the training ground.

"He was mad and gave me one week of detention, but I laughed because at least it was less than the four weeks I would have gotten if I had being caught… So he gave me two more weeks for laughing…" Konohamaru commented as he scratched the back of his head.

Naruto's laughter was renewed. "Hahah… I did the same thing…" The blond confessed.

A grin formed in the younger boy's face. "Yeah, he mentioned that." He informed. "I think he's considering convincing the Hokage to label the Oiroke no Jutsu as a kinjutsu." The Sarutobi added with a proud smile.

The spiky haired boy was finally able to get his laughter under control. "So, you're finally ok with Tsunade-baasan being the new Hokage?" Naruto asked. When they got back to Konoha, the blond had being worried what the younger boy's reaction at seeing his grandfather's replacement was going to be. The Sharingan user's worries had being confirmed after his friend barricaded himself inside the Hokage's office.

Konohamaru sighed as his gaze dropped slightly. "Well, I'm not jumping in joy for it…" He admitted. "But I know that the village needs a leader and she was one of Jii-san's students… So I guess I can accept her as Godaime Hokage…" The boy added.

The blond snorted. "Then you're more accepting than me…" The genin commented. "I still don't see her as Hokage material." He added, making both him and the young boy burst into laughter once more.

Naruto felt happy, after not having a chance to laugh like this in over a month, it was good to be a little carefree. The Jinchuuriki could not remember when was the last time he simply sat down to talk with Konohamaru, and now he realized that he missed it.

It had being a week since the blonde's return to the Hidden Leaf. Tsunade's induction as Hokage had already taken place, preparations for Lee's surgery were already underway, and after the delicate episode in Sasuke's hospital room, the had decided to give his teammate some space, but Naruto knew the raven haired boy was due to be discharged anytime soon and they could not avoid each other forever.

In the meantime, it was nice to relax sitting under the shade of a tree in the middle of the training ground conversing with Konohamaru and pretend that the world was not full of problems.

"Anyways!" The younger boy suddenly exclaimed. "Come on, show me something cool!" He requested. "You went to train with a Sannin for over a month! You must have learned some really awesome jutsus during that time!"

The Leaf nin let out a small laugh. "Ok, I'll show you a really cool one…" The blond said. Extending his right arm and grabbing his wrist with his left hand, the Jinchuuriki started to gather his chakra. Soon, a perfectly spherical mass of charka stood hovering on the young man's palm. "This is jutsu is called the Rasengan, created by the Yondaime Hokage." Naruto announced.

Konohamaru's eyes widened to an almost dangerous size. "That's so cool!" He exclaimed as he revered the technique.

Allowing himself a smirk, the Sharingan user dissipated the Rasengan before it got out of control and blew up on Konohamaru admiring face. The blond did not want to explain to Asuma-sensei why his nephew had being disfigured.

The younger spiky haired boy let out a short whine of disappointment. "You're going to have to teach me that jutsu!" Konohamaru demanded. "It's not fair that you hog all the cool jutsus for yourself!"

Naruto laughed in response. "Yeah and then I'll become your teacher once I get promoted to jounin." He sarcastically proclaimed.

Despite frowning at his friend's mocking tone, the brown haired boy decided to let it go. "Anyways, what are you working on now, Naruto-nii?" He asked. The Sarutobi had found his friend already in the training ground.

A sigh escaped the Jinchuuriki. "Well… This…" The Sharingan user said as he took a black scroll out of his pocket.

Taking the piece of parchment, Konohamaru's eyes scanned through it multiple times. "Are you trying to learn the two jutsus for the Sharingan that are in this scroll?" The academy student asked.

The blond shook his head. "No, I already learned them…" He informed. "But someone told me of a third jutsu… So I'm trying to find what it is." The genin stretched, brought his hands together in the back of his head, and gazed at the leaves above them before closing his eyes. "But as you can see, the scroll says nothing about another technique besides those two. I'm about ready to give up on it." The older spiky haired boy added.

"Why don't you ask the person who told you about it in the first place?" The brown haired kid questioned, earning a short dry laugh from his friend. Putting aside the confusion caused by the other spiky haired boy's response, Konohamaru studied the black scroll of a couple of minutes. "Why don't you try reading it with your Sharingan?"

Naruto's eyes snapped open. "Huh?"

The Sarutobi gave the older boy a curious look. "Yeah, it makes sense, doesn't it?" He pointed out. "This is a scroll about the Sharingan's secret techniques, right? So maybe you need to use a Sharingan to learn all of its secrets." The academy student offered.

The Leaf shinobi wanted to kick himself for never trying to do what seemed pretty obvious now. "Worth the shot." The Sharingan user said as the Sora Sharingan appeared in his gaze.

Even though he had never seen a normal Sharingan, Konohamaru could not help but be in awe at his friend's strange dojutsu as he gave the parchment back to him.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto directed his Sharingan to the black scroll.

* * *

Blood fell from his knuckles as he stared at the new whole on the wall.

After several minutes of watching his fist's handiwork, the boy realized that his breathing had finally subsided. "What the hell am I doing?" He finally let out in a scream as he brought both hands up to his head, the left one leaving a red dye on the side of his forehead.

Sasuke fell to his knees and his bloodied fist started to punch the floor of his house. "What the hell…?" The raven haired boy gritted his teeth as tears started to gather in his eyes. The images of Naruto's disappointed face and Sakura's fear stricken one were burning in his mind.

It had being a week since he had regain consciousness and he was finally discharged from the hospital, but after the episode he caused on the first day, he had asked his pink haired teammate not to come today. Now, the sadness he caused her simply added to his guilt.

"I hurt them…" The Sharingan user whispered. "Because I acted in such a stupid manner I ended up hurting them." Tears were already running freely down his face. "All because… All because…"

Somewhere in the dark depths of the Uchiha's mind, a cruel voice started to mock him. _"It starts with mere resentment for being left behind…"_ His brother's cold voice commented. _"Until it blooms into an all overpowering hatred towards each and every one of those you hold dear."_ Itachi mocked him with every syllable. _"That is you destiny as an Uchiha!"_

Sasuke screamed in anguish. Standing up, the raven haired boy's hand found a desk nearby and flung it across the room, sending everything on top of it scattering throughout the floor.

As he hyperventilated, the genin's eyes caught sight of something that caused his guilt to skyrocket. Kneeling down, the Sharingan user picked up the newly broken portrait of Team Seven.

"_It will start with Naruto, he's already so much more powerful than you…"_ Itachi had said on that day, apparently a month ago. _"You're jealousy towards him will soon consume you, and you will grow to despise the very sight of him and every breath he takes… Just like you hate me…"_ His brother had taken the time to let out a sardonic laugh. _"So, unless you can become stronger, the Uchiha blood that runs through your vein will lead you to betray even the people you love."_

The raven haired boy's tears fell on the images of his teammates.

"_The eyes we share are nothing but a curse…"_ The older Uchiha's voice echoed. _"Naruto and I, and even Kakashi, have already risen above it to the point we are no longer control by it."_ Sasuke's grip on the portrait tightened. _"But you are a weak an pathetic brat crying in a world full of monsters…"_ In that strange and dark world created by the Tsukuyomi genjutsu, his brother had smirked. _"Either become strong or disappear from this world!"_

In the Leaf nin's hand, what was left of his team's portrait was shattered into hundreds of little pieces.

The prodigy watched in horror as the picture fell to the floor as two separate pieces. Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi in one, and his image on the other, having being rip out of Team Seven by his own hands.

Sasuke knees gave up and they found themselves on the floor. "Itachi was right…" His gaze was lost in the emptiness of his house as tears continue to run down freely. "He's right… I'm too weak." The Uchiha's eyes drifted down and ended up on a piece of paper that had being on the now destroyed table. With a trembling and bloodied hand, the boy reached for the paper he acquire a month ago, a Shinobi Change of Address Request Form for one Uzumaki Naruto. "If I stay here… I'm going to end up hating Naruto…"

* * *

She knew it was not wise, even for a kunoichi, to wander around the park at night, but after the emotionally heavy week she had experience, the fresh and cool night air was doing wonder to the girl's nerves. The memories from one week ago still gripped Sakura's heart with painful force.

The moment she and Hinata had walked back into the room, the pink haired girl immediately noticed the tension between her two teammates. Sasuke's eyes were set downcast on his bed sheath while Naruto glared out the window.

When the kunoichi asked them what was wrong, the two boys tried to play it off as if there was no problem at all, but their disposition, the strain in their voices, and the blond excusing himself soon after just to disappear for the rest of the week told her the truth of the situation.

The following days, Sakura still visited the raven haired boy, but the boy's awkward behavior and the loaded air in the room forced her visits to become shorter and shorter, until the day when Sasuke was finally going to be discharged, the Sharingan user asked her not to come, telling her that he just wanted some time alone to think.

Sakura did not know what to do now. Should she tried to talk to the raven haired boy, even though she had being unsuccessful all throughout the week, or should she locate and confront Naruto, albeit she still had troubles even addressing her changed teammate. Sighing in concern, the kunoichi once again asked whoever was listening to please keep Team Seven together.

A sound drew the girl's attention back to the path ahead of her. Slowly but surly, Sasuke's figure became visible just a couple of feet away from her.

The raven haired boy's eyes were downcast as he gradually moved forward, apparently lost in thought.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called out as she hurried up to meet him.

A shocked look appeared on the Uchiha's face as he caught sight of his teammate. "Sakura…! What are you doing here?" He asked.

The girl gave the Sharingan user a curious look. "I could ask you the same thing, Sasuke-kun." She offered him a smile. "Didn't the doctors say that you should take it easy for the next couple of days?"

Looking away from the pink haired kunoichi, a pained expression appeared in raven haired boy's face.

Her teammate's odd behavior did not go unnoticed by the girl. Looking over his figure, Sakura saw the boy's backpack strapped to his shoulder, immediately raising some red flags in her head. "Sasuke-kun…" She began. "Why do you have your…?"

The girl could not finish her question as she was caught off guard when the boy suddenly hugged her.

"Sas… Sasuke-kun…?" The kunoichi yelped in surprise as her head.

"Sakura…" The slightly taller genin said. His voice and breath fell down onto the pink haired girl's ear. "Thank you…"

Trying to control her racing heart, Sakura found the rest of her body frozen in place. "Wh… Why… Sasuke-kun?" She managed to ask.

The embrace around the girl's body became tighter. "For everything." The raven haired genin responded. "For staying by my side even when I didn't deserve it and never giving up on me."

Slowly, Sakura awkwardly brought her hands to her teammate's back. "You don't have to thank me for that, Sasuke-kun. I will always…" The girl's sentence was cut short when she felt tears fall on her shoulder. She could not help but be reminded of trees burning in black flames during a rainy day.

"I don't want to hurt you…" Sasuke near desperate voice snapped the girl out of her thoughts. Sakura wanted to ease the boy's worries and tell him that he could never hurt her, but she was cut off before staring by his breaking voice. "I'm sorry."

* * *

**Kisame –** Ok! Stop your flames and complaints for just a second!

**Itachi –** While it seems that it follows the manga, that's simply because this was the storyline that Phoenixsun liked the most, so he decided to use it as the last jumping off point.

**Kisame –** So, while the beginning is a lot like the original and the structure was kept, key difference will arise pretty soon.

**Itachi – **For example, instead of the "Sasuke Retrieval" arc, we like to call this story line "Sasuke Rescue", you'll see why in the next chapter.

**Kisame –** That's only because the name I submitted was rejected…

**Itachi **– You wanted to call it "Shounen-Fest" and that's just wrong… Anyways, we will see you next chapter.

**Kisame –** Yeah, when the fighting returns instead of all this mushy stuff.


	22. Teammates

**Itachi –** Here we have the next instatement of PHD coupled with the rewrite for chapter 3.

**Kisame –** Uhmm… Itachi, one question…

**Itachi –** What is it?

**Kisame – **What's _he_ doing here?

**Lee –** Yosh! Hello everyone!

**Itachi –** Well, Lee was supposed to be in this chapter, but he was taken out at the last minute, so in compensation he was put up here with us.

**Kisame –** Grr… He irks me to no end!

**Itachi – **That's why I suggested it to Phoenixsun… Anyways, Lee, do you want to do the honors?

**Lee – **Yosh! And here we have PHD's chapter 22! Make sure to read until the end because we some points to make after this!

* * *

_**Teammates**_

"As all of you have being informed, Uchiha Sasuke left the village last night around midnight. There are no clues as to where he might be headed and an official statement of the reasons behind his actions has yet to be made." Shikamaru said in an uncharacteristically serious tone as he regarded the group in front of him with equally solemn eyes.

A snorting sound escaped Kiba. "Great! The one day that they close the gates late and that idiot picks it to run away from home…" The Inuzuka whined. "Just our luck!" He added, receiving a bark of agreement from Akamaru who lied on top of his head.

Besides the brown haired boy, a particularly pensive Neji stood. "Sasuke had just being released from the hospital, so I doubt that he could have gotten very far in only ten hours with his condition." He pointed out.

The Nara nodded at the older boy's words. "Yes, that is why the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade-sama, has allowed the formation of this four man team in order to search for Sasuke and return him here." Shikamaru's eyes move towards the spiky haired blond who had yet to say a word. "No matter what, we will bring Sasuke back!" The usually languid shinobi firmly said, his voice filled with determination as he tried to assure his silent friend.

Naruto's hands were already hurting due to the force he was using to tighten his fist. _"Goddammit Sasuke…!"_ The boy's mind raged. _"What the hell were you thinking?"_ He thought as he gritted his teeth.

"**Knowing how the Uchiha are, he probably wasn't thinking at all."** Kyuubi commented with a hint of amusement.

A frown formed on the Jinchuuriki's face at his tenant's words. _"Not now, you damn fox…"_ The blond said with as much disdain as he could manage.

The anger in the Sharingan user's voice sent the Bijuu into a fit of laughter. **"Hahah… That's some intimidating temper you have there, it almost make you seem fit to be my host."**

It seemed as though blood was going to star running down Naruto's hands at any moment as his fist tightened. _"I told you to shut it, Kyuubi! I will deal with your bullshit some other day, but now…"_ The genin's train of thought suddenly stopped.

As though a switch was turned, the patronizing tone completely disappeared from the fox's voice and was replaced by a more serious, yet understanding one. **"All of this just because of **_**her**_**, huh?"** The Bijuu commented.

Naruto simply remained silent as his eyes drifted towards the ground.

"**You can try to ignore me all you want, but I now everything that is going on in your head and your heart."** Kyuubi stated with an almost solemn voice. **"You have being restless ever since you found out and I know for a fact that the cause is not that your little teammate ran away, but because of how much his departure has hurt **_**her**_**…"**

A sigh escaped the Jinchuuriki as the weight of his tenant's words piled on top of him, but the young shinobi still refuse to respond to any of the fox's comment. Yet, despite himself, Naruto's mind drifted back to a couple of hours prior.

* * *

_Flashback_

The urgent knocks on the door echoed through his apartment once again, with no sign of letting out soon.

Sluggishly, Naruto forced his body out of his bedroom in direction towards the door. The young shinobi cursed in a tired breath. After spending most of the previous day training until late at night, the blond had planned on sleeping in this morning and worry about hitting the training field later in the day, or simply take the whole day off and hang out with Shikamaru and the others, the genin wasn't sure yet.

The increase in the knocks snapped the Sharingan user out of his thoughts, causing him to sigh. The blond swore under his breath that if once he opened the door he were to find Chouji wanting him as a partner for an eating competition again, he would look for all the potato chip bags that the Akimichi had thrown away in the past week and shove them down the boy's throat… Unless it was a ramen eating contest, in which case he would shove the potato chip bags from two weeks down his former classmate's throat for not telling him sooner.

On the other side of the door, the knocks were getting frantic.

"_It must be a meat eating contest if he's this anxious…"_ The Jinchuuriki thought.

Suddenly, a chocked voice called out from outside the blonde's apartment. "Naruto…!"

It took a second for the young man to recognize the voice of the person that was about to leave a dent on his door and it took him less than a second to register the distraught tone that Sakura's call carried as it reach his ears, completely shaking the drowsiness off the spiky haired boy.

Rushing towards the door, the Leaf nin flung open the entrance of his apartment, startling the pink haired girl and making her take a step back. "Sakura, what's wrong?" Naruto immediately asked her as his eyes scanned her features, it was evident to the young shinobi that she had been crying.

"It's… It's Sasuke-kun…!" The kunoichi struggled to get out as the tears returned to her eyes.

The Jinchuuriki's eyes widened in alarm, not at the girl's words but at the fragile tone in which they were said. "What happened?" He asked, trying to be reassuring.

Sakura try to calm her nerves as her jade colored eyes stared into her teammate's sapphire ones. "Sasuke-kun… Last night he… He left the village!" She finally exclaimed.

"What?" Naruto shouted at the revelation. "What do you mean he left?" He questioned.

The pink haired girl seemed to recoil slightly at the blonde's outburst. "He… He umm…" The girl tripped over her own words. "I saw him walking through the park last night… And when… And when I asked him what he was doing there and…" She choked.

Acting on instinct, the spiky haired boy placed his hands on Sakura's shoulders. "It's alright…" He tried to appease the distraught girl. "Calm down and tell me what happened." The young man requested.

The kunoichi took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm her nerves. "I… I asked Sasuke-kun what he was doing walking through the park at such a late hour, especially after just being released from the hospital, but instead of answering my question, he… He started to apologize for all the trouble he has caused…" She informed.

Naruto tilted his head to the side in confusion at his newly astray teammate's behavior.

"Then… He started saying that he didn't want to hurt either of us and…" The blond noticed that Sakura's lips started to quiver as she spoke. "He said that he needed to… Needed to leave the village before he did something terrible…" Naruto could already see what was coming next, but even if he had all the time in the world, there was nothing he could do to help his friend. "And then… And then he apologized before he…" Sakura crumbled at the moment, her body falling helplessly into her teammate's chest as tears ran freely down her cheeks.

He knew, the Jinchuuriki knew what had occurs without the girl telling him. All of these events that he was being informed on had happened last night, and if Sakura was just dealing with it meant that Sasuke had…

Pulling her head off the young man's chest, the pink haired kunoichi gazed at her teammate with tear stained eyes. "He knocked me out…! Sasuke-kun knocked me unconscious so that I couldn't do anything to stop him from leaving!" She exclaimed, her vice filled with desperation.

Not amount of preparation would have prevented Naruto from being left dumbfound and angry at the revelation.

"I… I woke up in a park bench this morning… And… And Sasuke-kun… He…!" The tears were causing the kunoichi's words to become incoherent. "Naruto… I don't know what to do…" She admitted as she looked pleadingly at the boy's sapphire eyes, searching for an answer to her cataclysmic problem.

Something seemed to snap within the blond, or perhaps something fell into place. A pair of shocked, azure eyes hardened as the boy's grip on the pink haired girl's shoulder strengthened. "Please calm down, Sakura." Naruto said, his voice carried a peculiar mix of force and understanding that Sakura found oddly comforting.

Finally managing to get her rampant tears under control, the kunoichi nodded at her teammate's request.

"Now…" The Jinchuuriki started again after seeing the girl in from of him regain some sort of control over her emotions. "You said that all of this happened last night, so Sasuke couldn't have gotten very far." The Sharingan user said as a way to reassure his teammate. "Kakashi-sensei is out on a mission so we cannot go to him, so I will go straight to the Hokage and inform her of the situation." He added.

Instead of the relief that Naruto thought his words would bring to his friend, Sakura's eyes widened in horror. "No!" She screamed. "You can't tell the Hokage! If you do, Sasuke-kun will get branded as a missing nin!" The kunoichi exclaimed on the verge of hysteria.

"Saskura… Sakura! Calm down…!" The spiky haired boy tried to get through to his teammate.

The pink haired girl simply shook her head. "No… No… No…" She repeated as she closed her eyes.

Naruto sighed and proceeded to take a deep breath. "Sakura!" The sudden outburst successfully stopped the girl's panic attack. "Sakura, I want you to listen to me." Sapphire eyes bored into emerald orbs. "No matter what happens, I will never let Sasuke become missing nin." Grip tightened while eyes narrowed. "I promise you, Sakura, with all my heart and soul, that I will bring him back to you." The young man vowed.

Astonished at her teammate's words, all that Sakura could do was nod like a small child.

Letting go of a heavy breath, the blond released the kunoichi's shoulder. "Now, I want you to come in and lie down so that you can calm your nerves while I go talk to the Hokage, ok?" He said.

The pink haired girl nodded once more and stepped into the Sharingan user's apartment.

The Jinchuuriki watched the still distraught girl disappear into his room before he turned around and stepped out of his apartment. Closing the door gently, Naruto swore under his breath, his fists were dying to punch something, but the young man managed to refrain himself and instead started off towards the Hokage's office.

_End Flashback_

* * *

Realizing that Shikamaru had begun talking once more snapped Naruto out of his memories.

"So those are the official terms of our mission…" The Nara informed as he regarded his newly appointed teammates. "Any questions?"

Instantly, Kiba's hand shot into the air, gaining the attention from the others. "Yeah… I want to know just how the hell they made you a chunin?" The Inuzuka inquired.

The appointed leader of the makeshift squad sighed. "I mean questions pertaining to our mission…" He said with a hint of annoyance.

The hooded boy brought his hands to the back of his head as a grin formed on his face. "What's there to ask about?" Kiba countered. "The mission is simple to understand, we're going to find Sasuke and then drag his sorry ass right back to the village." He said with overflowing confidence, receiving a bark of support from Akamaru.

The Inuzuka's words caused the word "Troublesome" to be uttered by Shikamaru, though it lacked any sign of annoyance, Neji shook his head in an attempt to fight off the tug he felt at the corner of his mouth, and Naruto looked up from the ground, the blonde's fist finally relaxing.

After releasing a sigh, the Nara decided to take back command of the team meeting. "Well, if everyone understands." The black haired boy addressed the group. "I want the three of you ready by the village entrance in forty-five minutes." The genins nodded. "I will say this once more, officially this is only a training exercise for the four of us, and so no one is to know about the true purpose of this mission, especially about Sasuke running away." Shikamaru stated, receiving one more sign of acknowledgement from his new teammates before the group broke apart.

* * *

"Sakura…?" Naruto called out as he opened the door to his apartment.

Immediately, the kunoichi sitting on the blonde's dinning table stood up and rushed to the Sharingan user's side. "Naruto! What happened? What did the Hokage say?" Sakura asked right away.

The spiky haired boy tried to put on the must comforting face he could muster. "It's alright Sakura, Tsunade-obaasan it's not going to brand Sasuke as a missing nin." Naruto assure the pink haired girl.

"So… So what are we going to do…?" The Haruno asked anxiously. "Sasuke-kun is still out there… Getting farther and farther away from the village and… And if he crosses the frontier of Fire Country…!"

The Jinchuuriki placed his hands on his teammate's shoulders once more. "Didn't I say that everything was fine?" He questioned and waited for the girl's emerald eyes to set firmly on him. "The Hokage has commissioned a search party for Sasuke." The young man announced.

Sakura tilted her head to the side. "A search party?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes, Shikamaru, Kiba, Hyuuga Neji, and me, we are setting out in half an hour." The blond informed.

A look of alarm took over the pink haired genin's face. "But you are all genins?" She exclaimed. "Isn't it dangerous to send all of you outside the walls of the village?"

Sighing, the Sharingan user tired to give his teammate a comforting smile. "You know how the village is right now… Almost all of the jounins and chunins are out on mission or supervising the reconstruction efforts." The spiky haired boy pointed out. "Besides, we are not all genins. Shikamaru was promoted to chunin recently, if you can believe that." Naruto attempted to joke, but the humor was lost on his still worried teammate. "Also, Tsunade-obaasan said that as soon as any of our jounin instructors returned, she will send them to help us." He added to calm the girl down.

The kunichi's still troubled eyes dropped to the apartment floor. "I guess is ok then…" She said, receiving a nod from the young man before he walked pass her and started to gather his gear. Sakura's eyes drifted carefully around the small apartment, despite having being there for a couple of hours, the girl had not taken the time to actually observe the place in which her teammate lived. Catching sight of a particular object, the kunoichi walked towards a small table were a small picture frame contained Naruto's copy of Team Seven's photo stood.

Looking over his shoulder, the blond saw his teammate gently caress the small picture.

"Do you think that we will ever be able to return to this…?" Sakura suddenly asked. "To how we were back then?"

Naruto remained quiet for a while. "We have all changed a lot since that picture was taken…" The spiky haired boy went back to silence.

Sakura picked the photo up and regarded her own smiling face, her teacher masked grin, and her teammates' aggravated looks that were depicted on the picture before hugging the small frame. "Naruto… I'm sorry." The pink haired girl said softly.

Slowly turning around, the blonde's eyes fixed on his teammate. "Why?" He questioned.

"That day on the bridge…" The young woman started as her eyes went back to the picture. "I should have said something, done something… Had I know that would be the last time that…" She choked.

The spiky haired boy's eyes narrowed. "Last time for what?" The Sharingan user asked with a hint of anger. "Last time I made a fool of myself in front of everyone?" He said with accusatory words.

The kunoichi shook her head fervently. "No…" She answered gently. "That was the last time I felt you emanate the warmth that until that day I had taken for granted." Sakura said as her eyes set on her teammate. "And I'm sorry I did nothing to help you protect it." She said before giving the spiky haired boy a small bow.

Naruto managed to keep his sight on the pink haired genin for a couple of seconds before turning around and returning to his gear. "You have nothing to apologize for…" He said with a defeated tone.

The two members of Team Seven remained silent for the next couple of minutes until the blonde's hand gripped the doorknob. "Naruto…" Sakura called out. "Please be careful."

The apartment door opened slowly. "You don't have to worry about me." The spiky haired boy said. "I told you that I will bring Sasuke back for you, and I will never back down from a promise." He added, catching his teammate off guard with an old familiar smile before setting off.

* * *

Shikamaru cleared his throat. "I am going to assign everyone's position and role, so pay attention because I do not want to repeat myself in five minutes when we leave the village… Kiba" The black haired boy accusingly said.

"Whatever…" The Inuzuka shrugged the chunin's words off.

After muttering "Troublesome" The Nara continued. "We will be moving in a line… First off are Kiba and Akamaru tracking Sasuke's scent, I will follow behind so that I will be a good position to give directions…"

"More like barking out orders." Kiba said as he leaned towards Neji. The Hyuuga simply nudged the hooded boy's attention back to their team leader.

"Naruto, I want you following behind me surveying our surroundings with your Sharingan and ready to spring into action in my command." The chunin said, receiving a nod of understanding from his former classmate."And Neji, you will be in the rear watching our backs with your Byakugan."

The Hyuuga acknowledged. "Consider it done."

Shikamaru nodded. "One more thing before we set out. We will be acting on the mindset that Sasuke has being traveling nonstop for the past twelve hours, so do not expect any five minute breaks during this mission since we will not be able to follow him pass the Fire Country borders." The seriousness in the Nara's eyes rivaled those of any veteran shinobi. "Now, I'm saying this not as a chunnin, not as your team leader, but as Nara Shikamaru, this is a mission that we cannot fail." The young man stated.

"Probably because otherwise Ino will be riding his ass for the next couple of years." The Inuzuka told Neji under his breath. "Though, now that I think about it, that's not such a bad idea." He added, receiving a far stronger push from the Hyuuga to snap his attention back.

Aware of his teammate's comment, the Nara shook his head. "No… It is because this is the first time we undertake a mission concerning someone we know, a comrade, a friend." He looked at each of his teammates. "If we fail and lose Sasuke, we will spend the next years unable to let this mission or our failure go." The chunin's words silenced the hooded boy.

"We will not have to worry about that." Neji interrupted. "Because you said it yourself, this is something in which we cannot fail. The way I see it, that only leaves one possible outcome for this mission." He pointed out.

Smirking at the Hyuuga's words, Shikamaru looked at Naruto, giving his blond friend a reassuring nod. "Well, if that is settled, let's go." The black haired shinobi said. "The sooner we catch up to Sasuke, the sooner we can beat some sense into him." He commented as the four Leaf nins crossed the village gate.

* * *

Sasuke panted with his back against a tree. How long had it being since he left the village? Just a couple of hours? Twelve hours? Or had it being days already since he committed the atrocity of knocking Sakura out before leaving Konohagakure?

All that the Uchiha was sure of was that it had being about an hour since he found himself in this predicament.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" A joking voice called out through the foliage of the forest.

Immediately, another voice was heard, this one several degrees angrier. "Goddamnit Kidomaru, just find that bastard already!" A female exclaimed. "Let's get this over with, I want to go back already!"

"No way!" The first voice whined. "I got all wound up thinking about breaking into Konoha once more and now we don't have to, so I have to find a way to spent this pent up energy before going back!" The man called Kidomaru proclaimed.

A new voice joined the other two. "You sound as if you are complaining about our good fortune." The third person said. This individual sound a lot calmer than his companions, but his voice still carried an air of superiority with it. "Days of planning and our target comes waltzing out of the protective walls of his village. Now we don't have to get into a pointless climatic battle in which Jirobo gets killed." The person commented.

The female voice laughed. "Well, if Kidomaru doesn't hurry out, fatso here is going to die of starvation anyways." She said, earning a laugh from the first voice.

"Very funny, Tayuya…" A deep fourth voice said sarcastically.

"Bite me, fat-ass!" The woman called Tayuya shouted.

Ignoring his female companion, the one they call Jirobo addressed someone else. "This is enough, do you not think so, Sakon?" He asked.

A sigh was heard before the owner of the third voice answered. "Yes, I guess it is…" He said. "Kidomaru, did you find him already?"

The hidden genin's eyes widened at those words and the amount of sweat running down his brow increased.

The first voice that had spoken up laughed. "Yeah… The idiot got too preoccupied listening to our banter that he forgot to keep moving!" He exclaimed.

Before Sasuke could react, the Sharingan user felt several spiders fall on top of his body. Shaking the small animals off, the raven haired boy tried to move to a new hiding place, but his actions came into a halt when a rather large man appeared in front of him. The next second, the Leaf nin's body was slammed against the trunk of a tree.

"Well, tag him and bag him, Kidomaru." The Uchiha heard as three people became visible among the trees. A pale, blue haired man, a redhead girl, and a tanned man with six arms.

The strangest of the group, the man with the six arms spoke up. "Damn, Jirobo, I hope the brat doesn't die before we get back." Sasuke recognize the voice as Kidomaru's.

"Not quite…" The blue haired man, Sakon, said as he watched their target get back on his feet.

Lifting a pair of a pair of Sharingan eyes, Sasuke glared at the large man in front of him. "What is it, you idiot?" Jirobo asked angrily as a smirk appeared on the raven haired genin's face. Feeling burning sensation in his upper body, the older shinobi only had time to look down and see an explosive tag attached to his chest before the piece of paper detonated.

The explosion echoed through the forest, sending debris in every direction.

Kidomaru whistled. "Ooh, it seems we have a fighter here." He commented.

Laugher erupted from the redhead. "Did you see fatty's face when he realized he had an explosive tag stuck on him? Priceless!" Tayuya mocked, earning a smirk from Sakon.

The fact that they took the reality that their teammate had just being blown to smithereens so lightly unnerved the Uchiha. The raven haired boy's fears were realized when he heard movement from the newly formed crater.

"You… Bastard…" Among all the dusk, Sasuke could see the large form of Jirobo standing up with no visible damage except for burned cloths. Suddenly, with a red glow, a strange triangular pattern spread through the large shinobi's body.

At the sight of the strange markings, the Sharingan user immediately knew the true nature of his situation. "Orochimaru…" The young man whispered.

"Bingo! You got it!" Kidomaru exclaimed. "He's a sharp one. Orochimaru-sama sure knows how to pick them." He commented to his other teammates.

Sakon took a step forward, his eyes settling on Sasuke. "Well, if you know who sent us, then you must know the reason for why we are here." He commented, receiving a glare from the genin. "So I will give you a choice… Either come willingly and fully accept the gift that Orochimaru-sama has bestowed upon you, or we will simply bit you up to an inch of your life and drag your broken body back with us." The blue haired man offered.

The Oto nin received his answer as the Sharingan user brought out a kunai and took a defensive pose.

"Oh well…" The apparent leader of the Sound squad muttered. "Kidomaru, take care of him." Sakon ordered.

The tanned man cracked three of his knuckles as a sign of acknowledgment, his eyes looking at Sasuke with a predatory delight.

"Wait!" Jirobo called out the moment his teammate took a step towards the younger shinobi. "This little prick ruined my shirt, I will be the one who teaches him a lesson." The large man announced. By then, his body was almost completely covered by the triangle pattern.

Before Kidomaru could complain, the largest member of the Sound team lunged towards the Uchiha.

Jumping up onto a tree, Sasuke could see the sizeable crater that his opponent's palm strike had left right where the genin had being standing.

Suddenly, several of the boulders created by the strike shot upwards in the direction of the raven haired boy. "Housenkan no Jutsu!" The genin called out before releasing a barrage of small fireballs to intercept the rocks. The two volleys disappeared into a cloud of dust and smoke.

Before the Uchiha could relax, Jirobo's form broke though the cloud, driving his shoulder into the genin's chest and sending him flying away. Sasuke was barely able to grab a hold of a tree branch to prevent himself from falling to the ground.

As the Sharingan user tried to pull himself up to the branch, the older shinobi appeared standing over him, and proceeded to smack the boy down towards the ground.

The young man had no time to think about the pain his body felt as the growing shadow over him warned him of the impending danger. Pushing his body to the side, the Leaf nin barely evaded Jirobo's feet as the older shinobi drove his own body into the ground. Taking the offensive before the large man could recover from his missed attack, Sasuke used one of the tree trunks as a platform and jumped towards his opponent, directing a spinning kick towards his head.

Catching the boy's kick, Jirobo effortlessly flung the raven haired genin away.

The Uchiha was able to spin his body in midair, planting his feet to the ground in an attempt to bring his body to a halt, but he was unable to do so before his back violently hit a tree. The force of the impact took away the young man's sight for a couple of seconds, but it returned soon enough to see the incoming Oto shinobi before he was brutally tackled. Sasuke could feel the trunk of the tree give away behind him due to the sheer force of Jirobo's assault.

"Well… I think this is over…" Kidomaru muttered disappointed as he watched the Sharingan user's body go through the tree and across the clearing like a rag doll. "Jirobo really took the brat to the cleaners." He commented.

Sakon was about to nod in response to his teammate's remark when an internal nudge brought his attention back to their target.

Slowly and struggling with every move, Sasuke forced himself back onto his feet.

"Is the prospect of serving Orochimaru-sama so unappealing to you that you would rather die than submit to him?" Jirobo asked his seemingly lifeless opponent as he prepared to continue his attack, but did not wait for any sort of answer. "Unfortunately, that decision is not up to you!" He exclaimed as he dashed towards the half dead genin.

In a quick and fluid moment, Sasuke jumped over the large Sound nin, successfully dodging the incoming attack, and gracefully landed behind the older shinobi.

As soon as his lunge failed, Jirobo tried to turn around to face his opponent, but his moves were suddenly hindered. _"Are these… Are these wires?"_ The large man questioned as he found himself wrapped around a long metal wire that led right towards the Uchiha.

A smirk appeared on the young man's face as he turned around. "It never occurred to you that all this time you were walking into my trap?" Sasuke wondered through his teeth that clenched onto the metal wire.

"Why you little…" Jirobo grunted as the tried to rush towards the younger nin.

Skillfully, the Sharingan user's hand went through the series of necessary handseals. "Ryuuka no Jutsu!" He called out before a burst of flames in the shape of a dragon shot from the Leaf genin's mouth, ran through the metal wire, and hit the man from Sound with devastating force.

The explosion than ensue lighted the forest up.

After what ha happened with the explosive tag, Sasuke did not take his eyes off the large cloud of smoke and dust. "Damn you…" The young shinobi heard through the debris as a form resembling Jirobo's stood up amongst all the wreckage. "You… Bastard… You bastard…. You bastard!" The Uchiha's eyes widened as the large man in front of him started to change. The Sound nin's eyes darkened, his skin turned brownish red, and his hair grew longer. "I am going to destroy you!" Jirobo shouted.

Tayuya laughed from her position. "Hah! Fat-ass is on the fritz now." She remarked.

Smiling devilishly, Kidomaru addressed the Leaf genin. "Well, Sasuke-chan, you managed to get to the Boss Fight, don't choke on us now." The tanned man taunted.

Despite starring down a monstrous figure, the Uchiha's voice came out even and composed. "You think that I'm afraid of you?" He asked the entire group from Otogakure. "I have already gazed upon the eyes of a true monster." The young man announced as an image of a strange, wheel shape Sharingan flowed into his mind. "So none of you are able to scare me now!"

Jirobo snorted. "Strong words for a brat who's backed against a corner. You have guts boy, I will give you that…" The man commented. "But as long as you have that disgustingly defiant look on your face, you are useless to Orochimaru-sama, so I might as well rid you from this world! Doryou Dango!" The large enraged shinobi exclaimed as brought his hands to the ground and rip a colossal boulder from the earth itself, raising it over the Uchiha.

Sakon's eyes widened in alarm. "You are going overboard, you idiot!" He called out, but was ignore by his teammate.

Still, the raven haired boy remained unnerved at the sight of the gigantic lump of earth. "I left my teammates because I was weak…" The Uchiha muttered. "I wanted to become stronger before this hatred that is dwelling inside of me consumed me." The young man's hand started on a set of already familiar handseals. "And if I am ever to be to return to my friends, I cannot lose to the likes of you!" The Leaf nin stated as lighting sparked in his palm and covered most of his arm. "For my sake, for Team Seven's sake, I will defeat you!" A third coma appeared on each of Sasuke's Sharingan eyes.

* * *

Housekan no Jutsu – Mythical Fire Phoenix Jutsu

Ryuuka no Jutsu – Dragon Fire Jutsu (Anime Version)

Doryou Dango – Mausoleum Earth Dumpling

* * *

**Lee – **Sasuke-kun… That was so youthful…

**Kisame –** Itachi! He's crying now!

**Itachi –** Not anymore than you at the end of Jaws.

**Kisame –** I told you that in confidence!

**Itachi – **Which was your first mistake… Back to the story, firstly, if you look through the chapters, you will see that the name of Naruto's Sharingan has being changed.

**Ksiame – **Phoenixsun finally wuss out and changed Sukai Sharingan to Sora Sharingan.

**Itachi –** You never learn, do you…? Also, this chapter has changed a lot from its original concept.

**Kisame –** Yeah, it was suppose to focus more on fighting, instead of all that mushy stuff at the beginning.

**Lee – **I liked it, Naruto-kun did a great job comforting Sakura-chan… Though I kind of wish it would have being me…

**Itachi – **Anyways, since the next chapter will be composed of parts that were originally meant for this one, expect it to be shorter.

**Lee –** Especially with the nature of the upcoming chapters, we might not see a 5000+ update for a while.

**Kisame –** Itachi, how does he know about future chapters and I don't?

**Itachi –** Because unlike you, Lee doesn't fall asleep during staff meetings.

**Lee – **You talk in your sleep, Kisame-san… Are you still afraid of penguins?

**Kisame –** Grr… Why you little…!


	23. Light Breaking Through the Leaves

**Lee – **Yosh! We're finally back!

**Kisame – **Itachi, why his he still here?

**Itachi –** I convinced Phoenixsun to leave Lee with us for the rest of the arc.

**Kisame –** What? Why would you do that?

**Itachi – **Honestly, I enjoy his company. I find it refreshing after been force to hang around you for so long.

**Lee –** I'm happy to be here! Kisame-san, please teach me to be as youthful as you!

**Kisame – **What? I'm not youth-whatever!

**Lee –** But you are! Even Gai-sensei acknowledges it!

**Kisame –** No, I'm not!

**Itachi – **While those two fight it out, I would like to take a moment to thank all you readers on behalf of Phoenixsun for enduring this fic until now. We know that is not the best writing, especially in the past when was almost unbearable, that sometimes the story comes off a bit too cliché, and that the update rate is the stuff nightmare are made of. So, once again, to all of you who have read all 22 chapters until now, thank you.

**Lee –** That was so… Youthful!

**Kisame –** Please stop crying…

**Itachi – **(Sigh) Here's PHD's chapter 23…

* * *

_**Light Breaking Through the Leaves**_

The raven haired boy remained unnerved at the sight of the gigantic lump of earth. "I left my teammates because I was weak…" The Uchiha muttered. "I wanted to become stronger before this hatred that is dwelling inside of me consumed me." The young man's hand started on a set of already familiar hand seals. "And if I am ever to return to my friends, I cannot lose to the likes of you!" The Leaf nin stated as lighting sparked in his palm and covered most of his arm. "For my sake, for Team Seven's sake, I will defeat you!" A third coma appeared on each of Sasuke's Sharingan eyes.

Jirobo gritted his teeth at the Uchiha's glare. "Those eyes…" He muttered angrily. "It is only because of those blasted eyes that Orochimaru-sama has invested so deeply in you!" The Sound shinobi roared and tightened his grip so much that a crack appeared on the giant boulder. "I will squash your body and rip those damn eyes off, then I simply present that to Orochimaru-sama!" He declared before heaving the colossal rock toward the Leaf genin.

The determination in the eyes of the raven haired boy did not wavered as the boulder came crashing down on him.

"Damn it Jirobo!" Sakon screamed. "What are we going to do now? Orochimaru-sama is going to kill us! Don't you ever think?" The blue haired man angrily exclaimed.

The largest of the Sound team simply shrugged his leader's outburst off. "Don't worry, Sakon, we just need to find his corpse and take the bastard's eyes out, then we…" The transformed man's sentence was cut short as a chirping sound spread through the forest. "What the hell is that?"

Four pairs of Oto shinobi eyes directed their gazes to the giant boulder as a cracking noise joined the chirping.

Jirobo's face became a mix of shock and anger. "No… There is no way…!" He exclaimed.

Suddenly, the chirping was replaced by a thunderous roar as a streak of lighting broke through the boulder and shot into the sky.

The Sound nins looked up as the electricity started to mold into the shape of a dragon and proceed to dive toward the largest shinobi.

Shaking his bewilderment off, Jirobo was barely able to jump out of the electric dragon's way and was left once again dumbfound gazing at the cloud of destruction that followed the deafening blast that went off right were he had been standing. After the dust settled, the monstrous man jumped back in a bout of fear as he was met by the piercing glare of the lightning dragon.

"Let me say it one more time…" Sasuke's vice was heard behind the electric behemoth. "I will not lose to you." The boy affirmed as the dragon disappeared with a final roar, leaving the Uchiha and the Sound nin to glare at each other once more.

Jirobo's transformed body started to shake as anger overtook him. "You cocky bastard…" He muttered. "Next time I'm going to break every single limp in your body!" The orange haired monsters roared.

Kidomaru scratched his head as he let out a sigh of relief. "For a second there I thought were done for…" The black haired man admitted. "Good thing that Uchiha is made up of some tough stuff and had a couple of extra lives stashed away, uh?" He commented as he turned to look at his teammates.

Gritting her teeth, Tayuya glared at the two combatant nins. "That fat bastard! He could have gotten us killed by Orochimaru-sama by pulling off stunts like that!" The kunoichi shouted.

Sakon narrowed his eyes as he watched the mixture of frustration and anger that occupied Jirobo's face. "Kidomaru…" The Sound leaders called out. "Make sure that the Uchiha is not killed no matter what… Even if you have to take Jirobo out…"

The archer gazed at his blue haired teammate before smirking and shaking his head. "Acknowledged." He responded.

"Grrargh!" Jirobo suddenly roared before lunging towards the Leaf nin. "Die already, you little bastard!"

Sasuke stood his ground and watched as the Oto shinobi drew his fist back in mid-fly. At the last possible second, the Sharingan user simply moved his body to the side, successfully evading the incoming punch completely.

Frowning in frustration, the orange haired man swept his left leg in the attempt of driving a devastating kick into the Uchiha's side. The monstrous shinobi anger and annoyance grew when his young opponent not only was able to easily jump out of the kick's way, but was able to land one of his own, sending the larger man tumbling back.

The raven haired boy was amazed by his own prowess. _"Somehow… It seems like he has gotten slower… Or at least I can track his movements better…"_ He reasoned. _"I can even predict what he's going to do next… Could it be that my Sharingan has matured?"_ The genin realized as he looked around to find that even the leaves appeared to be falling in slow motion.

"You bastard! Don't look away from me!" Jirobo raged before charging towards the smaller shinobi once again. Still, no matter how much the large man strained his Cursed Seal Level Two body, the young Sharingan user seemed to be able to dodge all of his attacks with ease, almost as if the raven haired boy knew exactly what his opponent was going to do.

Deciding to go in the offensive, Sasuke blocked one more kick from the Oto nin and took the opening to drive his elbow into the transformed man's stomach, effectively stunning the larger shinobi and leaving his defenseless of for the Leaf genin to uppercut him and proceeded to kick his airborne body violently and sent the orange haired man flying away.

Jirobo fell as the bark of a tree was nothing but paper when it effortlessly gave up as his back made contact with it, going through it with tremendous force. "Damn it…" The monstrous shinobi grunted as he pushed himself up using what remained of the tree's trunk as support. "He hasn't gotten any fasters… Yet, none of my attacks are landing! It must be because of that damn Sharingan…!" The Sound shinobi complained in frustration, making the mistake of taking his eyes off his opponent for a few seconds.

"Goukakyu no Jutsu!" Sasuke called out before releasing a giant fireball towards the irritated Oto nin.

The transformed man failed to act quickly enough and was caught by the full blast of the Katon jutsu, sending him flying back.

The young Uchiha panted where he stood as the witnessed his handiwork. "Have I… Become stronger…?" He whispered to himself just in time before the monstrous shinobi broke through the cloud of smoke created by his jutsu, lunging towards him.

'Blind Rage' was the only suitable term that could be use to describe Jirobo as he made a mad dash towards his target. The large man thrust his hands forward again and again, but to no avail as the Leaf genin simple sidestepped, ducked, and jumped away from his grabs. Suddenly, the orange head man felt something hindering his movement, immediately he realized that his body was wraped in metal wire once again. To add to the man's horror, the sound of a thousand birds chirping filled his ears once again.

Taking advantage of the moment, Sasuke dashed forward with a Chidori charging in his left hand.

Without thinking twice, the Sound nin quickly formed the necessary hand seals to raise a wall of rock between him and the raven haired boy.

The stone barrier easily crumble at the power of the Chidori, but it was able to cut off the Sharingan's line of sight and slow the Raiton jutsu enough for Jirobo to catch it with his hand.

The Oto shinobi flinched as the lighting chakra seared the skin on his hand, but the pain soon subsided as the Chakra Kyuuin Jutsu started to take effect. The man's mouth formed a smirk at the look of bewilderment in the Leaf genin's face after his attack was successfully stopped. Closing his hand into a fist, the transformed man punched the raven haired boy right in his face, sending him flying back.

Not wasting any time, Sasuke jumped back to his feet the moment his back touched the dirt. "Good, I thought this was getting a little too one-sided…" The genin taunted his opponent while his Sharingan sent deadly glares at the larger man's direction. "But I promise you, you will not catch the next one!" The Uchiha exclaimed as he swiftly produced another Chidori and dashed forward.

Jirobo stood calmly unaffected by the younger shinobi's declaration and, instead, his hands were busy going through a set of hand seals. "Dorou Doumu!" He called out.

Instantly, the ground around the Sharingan user burst upwards, encasing the genin into a dome made up of rock and dirt.

"Heh… I don't need to catch it." The Sound nin commented as he walked towards the newly formed stone prison. Standing before his creation, Jirobo was about to place both of his palms on the dome to use the Chakra Kyuuin technique when an already familiar sound was heard.

By the sound of chirping birds, the Chidori broke through the rock as the dome started to crumbled. "You should keep in mind that Earth techniques are weak against Raiton jutsus." Sasuke commented as he directed his electrically charged hand towards the larger nin.

Suddenly, just as the Lightning jutsu was only a hair away from the target, it stopped.

Sasuke's scream filled the forest as an unbearable pain shot through his body, originating from the left side of his neck.

The Oto shinobi watched with smug satisfaction as the genin crumbled in front of him. "Hah…! I was wondering went it would kick in." Jirobo casually said.

Sharingan eyes filled with anger, surprise, and increasing fear looked up at the monstrous man before gazing at the left side of the Leaf nin's body. Shock and dread grew inside of Sasuke at the side of a dark flame pattern already covering his left shoulder.

"It seems that you have been letting Orochimaru-sama's gift go to waste…" The Sound nin pointed out. "And for not embracing what was so graciously offered to you, you are going to lose!" He proclaimed before kicking the downed boy in the stomach and sending him flying away in an arc.

The Uchiha landed back on the dirt with a thud that barely registered, just like the kick itself had been nothing but an afterthought as both cases failed in comparison to the pain that he felt emanate from his blasted Cursed Seal.

Parts of Sasuke's body were already starting to go numb due to the pain. The young man was faintly aware of the larger shinobi approaching as the pain continued to overwhelm him and his mind slowly wandered back to the village. _"Naruto… Sakura… I'm sorry…_" He thought. _"I'm so weak… I can't even face you again…"_ The sound of breaking twigs announced that the transformed man was now right in front of him. _"Sakura… I…"_

* * *

Sakura sighed as her hands played with a pair of chopsticks and her eyes gazed vacantly at the wall of Naruto's apartment.

She was not sure how long she had been in that room. Whether it had been four hours or five, or if it was a day or two, it seemed that time had started to blend together for her and become distorted to her perception.

A cold, half eaten cup of instant ramen stood just a short distance away from her head that rested on the table. In the back of the pink haired girl's mind she wondered how angry Naruto might be when he found out she had taken some of his precious ramen without permission. That is, if blond ever came back.

To prevent her hands from shaking, the kunoichi gripped the chopsticks tighter. What had started as a passing thought had become a real and terrible fear. What if Naruto decided to leave her too? She could not help but dread silently as she stayed behind on a mission that would decide Team Seven's fate.

The worse part was that passing thought turned to terror led to an even grater one. What if Naruto and Sasuke fought and killed each other?

"Sasuke…" The girl had tried her best not to think of that name, but now that her mind had found its way back to the raven haired boy, the kunoichi could feel new tears forming in her emerald eyes.

Images from her teammate's goodbye kept replaying in her head. Maybe, if she had not allowed herself to be taken in by the moment, she would have not been so easily knocked out and she could have prevented all of this. Maybe, if she had not been so infatuated with the Uchiha, she could have seen the terrible turmoil inside the raven haired boy and done something to prevent all of this. Maybe, if she would have acted on her fears for Team Seven's future, she could have gotten Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi-sensei to sit down and talk things out, and none of this would have happened.

Tears were already falling freely on the table.

Suddenly, a knock on the door snapped the kunoichi out of her thoughts.

Standing up, Sakura rushed towards the door and quickly opened. She was slightly disappointed to find Tenten on the other side of the threshold.

"Sakura-chan! I've been looking everywhere for you. Ino-chan told me you might be here." The older girl greeted warmly.

The pink haired girl tried her best to smile at her fellow genin. "Oh… Hi, Tenten…" She answered back. "What did you need me for?"

Tenten scratched the side of her cheek awkwardly. "Well… Lee made me promise that I would find you and let you know that he is about to undergo surgery…" She revealed.

Sakura's face brightened slightly. "Ah yes, I stopped by from time to time to check on him in the hospital while visiting…" She stopped for a moment. "I asked Lee to keep me inform on his condition." The girl said as she tried to give the older kunoichi a reassuring smile.

"Oh, thank God…!" Tenten let out a sigh of relief. "For a while there I thought it was one of Lee's fantas…" The brown haired girl cut herself off, shook her head and proceeded to take a moment to compose herself before continuing. "Anyways, if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing in Naruto's home all by yourself? I don't hear him anywhere." She questioned.

The younger girl bit her bottom lip for a second. "He… He's out… On a mission…"

At those words, Tenten crossed her arms. "Him too, uh?" The weapons expert commented, earning a questioning look from the other kunoichi. "Well, I met with Hinata-chan before coming here, and she told me that both Neji and Kiba are out too." She explained. "It seems that they are all out on a _Boys Only_ mission." The brown haired girl added with an indignant look.

Guilt crept up on Sakura as her gaze found its way to the apartment's floor.

"Though Hinata-chan did say that Neji had a very serious look on his face, I mean, more serious than usual, and that Kiba was acting uncharacteristically solemn." The older genin continued. "And Naruto has been pretty much all seriousness since I've known him… So I guess this must be a pretty important missi…" Tenten could not finish her statement as she caught sight of the pink haired girl.

The reality of how much Team Seven's situation was affecting others had started to dawn on Sakura, and if something happened to any of their friends and comrades that were currently on the other side of the village's wall, the pink haired kunoichi would not be able to forgive herself.

Tenten had gathered enough to infer the gist of the situation. Walking towards her shaking comrade, she placed one of her hands over the younger girl's shoulder. "But then again, they are our boys. Whatever it is that they are doing, they can take care of themselves and will soon come back to us." She offered a reassuring smile. "We just need to have faith in them." She added.

Sakura looked into Tenten's eyes before closing her own and silently praying. _"I do have faith in you… Naruto… Sasuke-kun…"_

* * *

Jirobo's foot hovered barely two feet above Sasuke's head, its heel ready to crush the genin's head.

While aware of his dire predicament, the Uchiha hah no control of his body, his limbs felt like lead, and his chest had trouble breathing. _"Am I going to lose here…?"_ He wondered through the pain as he felt the Cursed Seal's pattern sear even more of his skin. _"I won't even… Have a chance to keep the promise…!"_

Amongst all the turmoil, a certain memory found its way into the raven haired boy's mind. It felt almost like a lifetime ago, when the young man carried his teammate's unconscious body and placed her carefully on a park bench. Somewhere in the present, Jirobo's leg twitched right when it was about to come down, but all that Sasuke could think about was the words he had spoken as he wipe away the single tear that had escaped Sakura's eye. _"I promise… Someday, I will come back…"_ The Sound nin's heel was a hair away from crushing the genin's head. _"To you…"_

Jirobo's heel came down with thunderous force, but all it caused was a new crater in the ground as the Leaf shinobi managed push his body away in the last second. "What?" The large man exclaimed as he felt the ground crack beneath the sole of his foot.

Several feet away, Sasuke stood glaring at his opponent with a defiant Sharingan blazing in his eyes.

Every member of the Sound team watched dumbstruck as the young genin from Konoha willed the flame-like pattern that had spread through most of the left side of is body to recede back to his neck. "Impossible…" Was all that Kidomaru managed to say.

Anger grew inside of Jirobo. "Did you see that, Sakon?" He called out. "He completely rejected the Cursed Seal! He is useless to Orochimaru-sama already!" The monstrous shinobi added as he got into a fighting stance.

"How many times do I have to repeat myself…?" Sasuke said in a low, yet clear, voice. "I will not lose to you… I will defeat you!" The Sharingan user proclaimed as he reached into his already battered bag and pulled out a fuma shuriken. "Now, behold my power…!" The young man shouted as he held the shuriken open and the weapon started to glow. "The power of the Uchiha…! No! The power of Team Seven!" He called out before sending the metal instrument flying towards the enemy.

The Oto nin stood strong, completely unfazed by the incoming weapon. "This is nothing!" He stated as he sidestepped the sharpened blades and let the shuriken fly pass him.

Immediately, the large man felt something was wrong.

Despite Jirobo's certainty of having fully evaded the fuma shuriken, a cut had appear on the side of his body, but, as the orange haired shinobi soon found out, that was not the real problem. "What… What is going on…?" The Sound nin grunted as he felt jolts of electricity running up and down his spine, paralyzing his transformed body. "This… This is… Lightning chakra…?" The sound of branches being torn apart alerted Jirobo that the shuriken was still in midflight. Managing to turn his head around, the monstrous man could see as the metal instrument arced upwards, pass the trees, until it stood right on above of him, he could now see a small wire tied to the weapon that led all the way down to its owner.

"It's not done yet!" The Uchiha said in a menacing voice as his hands formed seals and the fuma shuriken dived downward. "Ryuuka no Jutsu!" Sasuke called out before sending a streak of flames upwards along the metal wire.

To the Sound shinboi's horror, the moment the fire reached the shuriken, the four blades of the weapons came apart and the flames that covered each of them took the shape of dragons.

In a monstrous explosion, the four dragons rained down on the transformed man, consuming him in a massive fireball and drowning out his screams.

Sasuke was left panting before the cloud of smoke and dust that had risen. Most of the Sharingan user's body still ached in pain, so the young man knew that he needed to get a hold of himself as soon as possible, especially since he knew that there were three other Sound nins about to attack him at any given moment.

Suddenly, and with a mad roar, a crazed Jirobo burst out of the dust and lunge towards the genin.

The Uchiha had enough time to see his opponent's gravely wounded body, with an arm missing and one of the shuriken's blade impaled on the upper part of one of his legs, before the Sound nin's remaining hand closed around the raven haired boy's neck and slammed his back against a tree.

"I'm going to kill you! I'm going to kill you!" All reason seemed to have abandoned the transformed man. "I'm going to kill you!"

Attempts to lessen the hold on his neck were futile for Konoha shinobi as his opponent's strength seemed to increase the further he drifted into madness.

A wicked and distorted smile formed in Jirobo's face at the expression of helplessness that his target showed. "I'm going to kill you!" He repeated and his grip strengthened.

"Damn it…!" Sakon cursed at the situation. "Kidomaru!" He called out and turned to look at his teammate.

The tanned man already had the arrow in his bow trained on his transformed Oto nin. "So long, Jirobo… Game over…" The black haired man said as he pulled the arrow back along the string.

Unaware of his teammates' actions, Jirobo glared into the Uchiha's eyes, gleefully savoring every second that transpired as more and more breaths escaped the young man, driving the monstrous man to strengthen his hold on the genin's neck even more, until…

Snap

The boy's handsome body went limp in Jirobo's hold. His hands dropped lifelessly to his side as his head fell back.

A grin invaded the Sound shinobi's face. "I did it!" He let the genin's body fall carelessly to the ground and turned to look at his comrades. "Guys, I did it! Killed the bastard!" The transformed man cheered gleefully.

Tayuya glared at his teammate. "You dumbass!" The kunoichi screamed. "It's a damn genjutsu! Turn around!" She shouted.

"Uh?" Jirobo gave the redhead a confused look before obeying. The last thing that the Sound nin saw was a pair jaws made up of electricity closing down on him.

The Raikiri Ryu completely consumed its victim and raced through the forest, tearing up trees and boulder like they nothing but paper, finally slamming what was left of the transformed body from Oto into the side of a small hill.

* * *

A chair flew pass Okina. A clattering sound later informed the seasoned shinobi that the object had shattered on the wall all the way at the end of the hall.

"Damn that bastard!" A roar was heard from the darkest part of the room.

Okina sighed. "Calm down…" The bearded man said halfheartedly. "Nothing can be done about it now."

A growl from the other person in the room was the first response he got. "First that bullshit with Akatsuki and now this!" The angry voice complained.

The graying shinobi nodded, sure that his younger comrade could see it despite all the darkness. "Yes, but you have to understand, with both of them outside the village, we could not waste this opportunity." Okina tried his best to explain. "And now that Orochimaru made his move, we have to act before Akatsuki does so as well." The former Waterfall shinobi pointed out.

It sounded as if a fist went up against a wall and the wall lost. "I know already!" The second party roared. "But goddamnit, I should have been the one assigned to this mission!"

Another sigh escaped aged shinobi. "Like I said, you cannot do anything about it now." The bearded man repeated himself. "The mission was assigned to them, and they already set off to carry it out." Okina knew that his reminder would do nothing to appease his comrade. "But you do not have to worry. I am sure that if it is them, this mission will be successful. After all, they are…" The sound of more pieces of the wall crumbling down cut the former Taki nin off.

"Don't even start with that again, Old Man…" The voice growled once more.

All that could be heard in the large dark room were the sounds of footsteps walking way. For a moment, Okina could have swore that he saw the glint of a sword been sheathed in the darkness, and it left the seasoned shinobi wondering that maybe his young teammate was angrier than he had predicted.

* * *

Sasuke stood panting with his left arm extended and his Sharingan fading from his eyes, his body suffering the backlash of unleashing two Raikiri Ryuu, on top of everything else that had happened on that day. Pushing his body to the limit, the Uchiha forced himself to start moving forward.

"Well, well, well, fatso did bite the dust after all." Kidomaru commented as he and his teammates landed in front of the exhausted genin. "Congratulations, Sasuke-chan, now you get to level up." The tanned man teased as two of his hands formed a seal. "Kumo Shibari!" He called out.

A pair of onyx eyes watched helplessly as a large spider web burst out the strange man's mouth, extending and threatening to cover him. Sasuke try to move his body, but all the managed to accomplish was to fall down to his knees as the white fabric moved closer and closer.

"Housekan no Jutsu!"

Suddenly, several small fireballs flew pass the tired Uchiha, intercepting the spider web and reducing it to ash. Immediately, four figures jumped between the raven haired boy and the remainders of the Sound Team. "Naruto…" Sasuke whispered.

Naruto, Shikamaru, Neji, and Kiba, the latter with Akamaru lying on top of his head, stood imposingly in front of the wayward Leaf nin. "You sure are troublesome, Sasuke…" The Nara commented, looking back at his former classmate and smirking.

"Yeah…" Kiba exclaimed energetically, though there were some signs of fatigue in his voice. "And Shikamaru is a slave driver, we've been running nonstop for kami knows how long to catch up with your sorry ass" The Inuzuka complained, earning a smack on the backside of his head by Neji for his troubles.

The blond in the group remained quite for a couple of seconds more before breaking his silence. "You left Sakura crying…" Was the only thing that the spiky haired boy said, all without looking back at his teammate, instead his eyes remained trained on the Oto nins.

Tayuya gritted her teeth. "Great, now we have to take care of these brats! This is all that dead fatso's fault!" She angrily cursed.

A grin graced Kidomaru's face. "I'm not complaining… This just makes the game more interesting for me!" The man gleefully proclaimed.

"Do not forget our mission." Sakon intervened, his sight moving pass the newcomers and settling on his target. "We have to take the Uchiha to Orochimaru-sama."

Kiba took a step forward right away. "Like hell you are!" The brown haired boy said. "Sasuke might be an idiot, an asshole, and a jerk, but he's still one of our comrades and we will never let you have him!" The hooded boy's declaration was accentuated by a bark from Akamaru at the end.

"Also, Sasuke leaving the village all of the sudden pissed off a lot of people…" Shikamaru commented. "So we'll be dragging him back with us and let Ino and the other village girls inflect their punishment on him." The Nara casually stated.

"So, if you want him…" Neji finally spoke. "You will have to go through us." The Byakugan user firmly declared.

A light snicker escaped Sakon's lips. "We do not need to." The blue haired man nonchalantly turned his head to look at his female teammate. "Tayuya… Bind them…" He commanded.

Smirking, the kunoichi brought her flute to her mouth. "Mateki: Mugen Onsa!" She called out before starting to emit sound from her instrument.

Kiba and Akamaru were the first ones to feel the effects of the attack. "Gyargh! My body!" The Inuzuka screamed as the small white dog yelp in pain.

Before the others could react to their friend's predicament, the remaining Leaf nins found themselves with their limbs bound by an unseen force as pain ran rampant through their bodies.

Out of sheer force of will, Naruto managed to bring his hands up to his ears in an unsuccessful attempt to drown out the sound. "Hahah, that's useless, you retard!" Somehow, the blond could hear the redhead's voice through the melody. "My genjutsu travels in vibrations directly through the skin! Blocking your ears will do you no go, you poor bastard!" She gleefully and mockingly exclaimed.

"A wonderful melody." Sakon praised as he smirk wickedly at the struggling Konoha shinobi. "Now, Kidomaru, if you please."

The tanned man sighed. "I don't like this kind of tactics… It feels like a cheat code, but I guess a guy has to do what a guy has to do." He said before forming hand seals and taking air in. "Kumo Shibari!" Kidomaru shot another spider web towards the Uchiha.

Before the net could approach its target, it was caught by sudden powerful gust of wind that tore it apart. "I told you… That you would have to go through us to get to Sasuke…" Neji said with a low but firm voice as he stood up, apparently no longer affected by the sound based jutsu.

There was a small hiccup on the melody. "What? How is it not affecting him?" Tayuya's voice shouted through the music. The Kunoichi increased the tempo of her genjutsu and concentrated it on the insolent genin.

Still, the Hyuuga remained standing, staring down the three Oto nins and seemingly unhindered by the genjutsu. "Your sound…" Neji said as his body started to glow. "I can't hear it."

* * *

Chakra Kyuuin Jutsu – Chakra Absorption Jutsu

Dorou Doumu – Earth Prison Dome

Kumo Shibari – Spider Bind

Mateki: Mugen Onsa – Demon Flute: Phantom Chains

* * *

**Lee – **Aww… I wish I was there!

**Itachi –** Calm down, Lee.

**Kisame –** Finally we have another chapter focusing on action rather than sappy character development!

**Itachi – **Why are you so tactless?

**Kisame –** I was raised by the movie Jaws.

**Itachi –** That explains… Not nearly enough… Anyways, as all should know by now, the following chapters will focus on match ups between the Leaf and Sound teams.

**Lee – **So, please join us next time when Neji shows us his youthful side in PHD's chapter 24: Let the Caged Bird Sing!


	24. Let the Caged Bird Sing

**Kisame –** Damn… It has been a really long time!

**Itachi –** For this story, yeah. Phoenixsun has been focusing on another fanfic… In actually, his update rate has improved in general.

**Kisame –** Sure, but what's a step up from abysmal? Is it _mediocre_?

**Lee – **That's not a nice thing to say.

**Kisame –** You're still here?

**Lee –** Yosh! Of course!

**Itachi –** Anyways, we're sorry for the delay, but here's PHD chapter 24…

**Kisame –** Still? This fic should be over by now!

**Itachi –** I just can't believe you actually got even bitchier during the last couple of months…

* * *

_**Let the Caged Bird Sing**_

"So, if you want him…" Neji finally spoke. "You will have to go through us." The Byakugan user firmly declared.

A light snicker escaped Sakon's lips. "We do not need to." The blue haired man nonchalantly turned his head to look at his female teammate. "Tayuya… Bind them…" He commanded.

Smirking, the kunoichi brought her flute to her mouth. "Mateki: Mugen Onsa!" She called out before starting to emit sound from her instrument.

Kiba and Akamaru were the first ones to feel the effects of the attack. "Gyargh! My body!" The Inuzuka screamed as the small white dog yelp in pain.

Before the others could react to their friend's predicament, the remaining Leaf nins found themselves with their limbs bound by an unseen force as pain ran rampant through their bodies.

Out of sheer force of will, Naruto managed to bring his hands up to his ears in an unsuccessful attempt to drown out the sound. "Hahah, that's useless, you retard!" Somehow, the blond could hear the redhead's voice through the melody. "My genjutsu travels in vibrations directly through the skin! Blocking your ears will do you no go, you poor bastard!" She gleefully and mockingly exclaimed.

"A wonderful melody." Sakon praised as he smirk wickedly at the struggling Konoha shinobi. "Now, Kidomaru, if you please."

The tanned man sighed. "I don't like this kind of tactics… It feels like a cheat code, but I guess a guy has to do what a guy has to do." He said before forming hand seals and taking air in. "Kumo Shibari!" Kidomaru shot another spider web towards the Uchiha.

Before the net could approach its target, it was caught by sudden powerful gust of wind that tore it apart. "I told you… That you would have to go through us to get to Sasuke…" Neji said with a low but firm voice as he stood up, apparently no longer affected by the sound based jutsu.

There was a small hiccup on the melody. "What? How is it not affecting him?" Tayuya's voice shouted through the music. The Kunoichi increased the tempo of her genjutsu and concentrated it on the insolent genin.

Still, the Hyuuga remained standing, staring down the three Oto nins and seemingly unhindered by the genjutsu. "Your sound…" Neji said as his body started to glow. "I can't hear it."

Tayuya's eyes widened. "What?" She screamed through the sound of her flute.

Unlike his teammate, Kidomaru grinned wickedly as he regarded the younger teen. "Heh… Someone seems to be leveling up as we speak." He commented. "But how?" The tanned man asked as he looked at his leader.

Sakon's eyes narrowed. Though it was extremely faint, he could sense something coming from the Leaf genin. "Incredible…" The blue haired teen muttered. "Not only was he able to fully discern the rhythm of Tayuya's song… But he's also able to emanate chakra from every part of his body at the exact same rate." The pale man explained.

"That bastard!" The redhead shouted without ever stopping to play her instrument.

Neji continued to stand defiantly between the remaining members of the Sound Four and his incapacitated comrades. _"I have to find a way to stop that flute…"_ The Hyuuga thought as his white eyes settled on the kunoichi.

"I kind of like him!" Kidomaru suddenly stated. "I want to see what other kind of stunts he can pull out!" The strange man said before, in one swift movement, he pull out his bow and shot an arrow aimed the Leaf nin.

The black haired boy barely had time to form the Fudou Kaiten around him to stop the incoming projectile. _"Damn it…! I cannot waste my time we him! I have to take stop that song!"_ Neji's mind raged.

"Kidomaru, stop!" Tayuya screamed, the music coming to an abrupt end. "That guy spat in my face by mocking my genjutsu!" She exclaimed, sending daggers at the Hyuuga through her eyes. "I'm going to teach that pretty boy not to make a ridicule of my music!"

Panting heavily, Shikamaru got back on his feet. The Nara looked his teammates over. "As soon as I give you guys the signal, we'll make a run for it… I'll use explosive tags to cover our escape." The team leader informed.

A sigh escaped Sakon. "Very well… Step down, Kidomaru." He ordered, earning a look from his teammate. "Oh come on, you know that she'll just get worse and worse if she doesn't get her way. Just make sure that none of the other brats tries anything funny during."

Finally, tanned man sighed in defeat. "I guess I'll be in guard duty then." Kidomaru commented before aiming at arrow at the group behind Neji.

"It's just you and me, white eyes!" Tayuya shouted as she moved several branches forward, standing right over her opponent.

"Neji, you don't have to do this!" Kiba stated as Akamaru barked in agreement. "We can just take them all on at once. There are five of us and only three of them."

The Hyuuga glanced back for a second. "And what would you do if she uses that genjutsu again?" The older boy questioned. "Then it would be all three of them against me." He stated before returning his gaze back upfront. "Don't worry about me… I will defeat her." The young man stated as he took a few steps forward.

A snort escaped the redhead. "You're a very cocky bastard, you know that, right?" She commented. "It must be that Hyuuga air of superiority I kept hearing about." She said, trying to bait the black haired boy, but to no bail as his white eyes remained unchanged.

"The only reason I have for fighting you is to protect my teammates and accomplish my mission." Neji stated as he shifted his body into a fighting stance. "Your words are worthless to me." He declared as the Byakugan activated.

If anything, the Leaf nin's words only served to infuriate the kunoichi even more. "I'm going to tear you apart limb by limp and then we will see who's truly worthless." Tayuya said through her gritting teeth before bringing her flute back up to her mouth.

Suddenly, Neji jumped onto a tree, and the next second an explosion went off right where he had been standing. "What the…?" Kiba exclaimed as Naruto narrowed his eyes.

The Hyuuga simply glared at his opponent while he continued to jump from branch to branch, explosions following him wherever he went.

"What is she doing?" Sasuke ask as he strained his ears to try and hear if the Sound kunoichi was playing something on her flute that was causing all those explosions. The Uchiha could not hear anything.

"It's just like back during the Chunin Exam…" Shikamaru commented. "The guy with the air canons in the palm of his hands… She's using her flue to control the air presses and reproduce the same attack." The team leader stated as he continue to watch his oldest comrade dodge air blasts one after the other.

Through the Byakugan, Neji could how the redhead's chakra extended from her instrument and shifted the air pressure between them to create those explosions. Had it not been for his kekkei genkai, the black haired boy was sure that he would have been splattered all over the ground by now.

Tayuya glared at the genin. "How long can you keep this up, you asshole?" She questioned before increasing the rate at which the air blasts were being released.

In order to compensate, the Hyuuga increased the chakra around his feet, making him jump both faster and higher. Little by little, the Leaf nin was shortening the distance between himself and the Sound kunoichi.

Tayuya's eye widened slightly when the black haired boy suddenly landed in front of her. The next second, Neji's extended, chakra covered fingers were traveling towards the redhead's chakra points.

Sasuke suddenly cringed as he could finally hear something. The girl's flute play a particularly strenuous note as barrier of high pressure formed around her body.

Neji's juuken strike was immediately stopped by the barrier around the Oto nin. Before, the Hyuuga could think what to do the next, the barrier exploded, sending him flying back until his back hit a tree with vicious force.

"Heh… Serves you right…" Tayuya commented. "Did you not think I wouldn't catch on to what you were trying to do?" She questioned. "Not everyone is as moronic as the five of you." The young woman taunted.

The Hyuuga panted as he got back on his feet, his Byakugan sending a glare at the redhead. Seeing another air blast forming, the genin jumped out of the way, barely able to dodge it.

"He's trying it again?" Kiba asked in confusing at seeing his teammate's intention. "Why? If she can just create a barrier around herself and blast him?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "I don't know… I don't know what Neji is planning…" The Nara admitted, his eyes still following the Hyuuga as he jumped around.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto tried to unclench his fist. "We have to have faith in Neji…" The blond said. "He was the only one that could fight off her genjutsu… He's the only one of us who can beat her." The spiky haired boy said, his fist still tightly closed.

"You just don't learn, do you, pretty boy?" Tayuya taunted as she saw the genin jump closer to her. Hitting the same note again, the air presser between the two shinobi built up, creating the barrier once more. "Maybe this time, you'll get it?" She shouted just went the black haired boy was about to collide with her barrier.

At the very last second, the Hyuuga's Kaiten formed. "Aaargh!" Neji shouted as his chakra clashed with the barrier.

The flute almost fell from the Oto nin's hand at the sight in front of her. "Wha… What the hell is he doing…?" She questioned as her skin could feel the friction emanating from the colliding forces. "Impossible…" The redhead muttered before she was suddenly thrown back by the explosion that ensued, throwing her down into the ground. Looking up, Tayuya could see her opponent's Byakugan eyes looking down at her from a tree branch.

Not wanting to lose his opening, The Leaf nin pumped chakra into feet and shot forward, appearing right in front of the Sound kunoichi.

Before Tayuya knew what hit her, her opponent had already delivered several juuken strikes on her chakra points. Just barely, the redhead was able to block the black haired boy's attack and immediately jump as far away from him as possible. "Damn… You…" She muttered, trying to catch her breath.

Neji remained silent as he simply returned to his fighting stance and continued to watch his opponent with the Byakugan.

The genin's silence only served to infuriate Tayuya even more as she glare back at his white eyes. "You're still mocking me, you bastard!" She exclaimed. "I'll teach you to respect me… No, to fear me!" The young woman stated in anger as a dark, crack-like pattern spread across her pale skin.

Sasuke immediately recognized the markings on the kunoichi's body as a Cursed Seal. "Neji, be careful!" He advised as he reactivated his Sharingan and looked at the redhead. "Her power has tremendously increased!" The Uchiha informed, his eyes confirming the rise of the girl's chakra.

Byakugan eyes narrowed at the sight of the young woman's chakra pathway going haywire. The boy shifted his stance to a slightly more defensive one.

Tayuya's hand immediately started forming hand seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" She called out before slamming her hand on the tree branch beneath her feet. Back on the ground, just a short distance from the Hyuuga, three monsters appeared in a cloud of smoke.

"What the hell are those?" The Inuzuka exclaimed in shock as Akamaru retreated into his jacket with a whimper.

The three creatures look human enough at first glance, but they had enough oddities in their appearance to be thought as anything else besides monsters. The largest one was bald and shirtless, with his eyes covered and two thorns tied to his arms. The second one had a green, full-body suit, hair that seemed to completely hide his face, and carried a large metal club. The last one, and perhaps the weirdest, had the upper part of his body almost completely covered with bandages, and his head was twisted upwards and filled with needles. As far as the Leaf genins could tell, all three monsters had their mouth sew shut.

"Now I'm going to enjoy watching you squirm as the Doki tear your body apart…" Tayuya stated as she brought her flute up to her mouth and started playing.

The three demons immediately reacted to the music and shot towards the Leaf genin.

Neji jumped just as the large metal club came down right where he had been standing. The largest Doki followed him, swinging the claws on his arm at the black haired boy.

Acting quickly, the Hyuuga kicked the monster, both to keep it away from him and to use it as a platform to propel himself even higher up. Through his Byakugan, Neji saw the third monster try to sneak up on him, a kick already traveling towards the back of his head. Forced to act quickly, the black haired boy created the Fudou Kaiten around his body, effectively propelling the bandaged creature away from him.

The Leaf nin landed safely on top of a branch, but his respite was cut short as the three monsters were already within striking distance from him. The genin was forced to jump around from branch to branch yet again, trying to stay as far away from the monsters as possible.

Tayuya continued to control the Doki with her flute, coordinating their attack patterns in an attempt to catch the Hyuuga off guard.

Neji found himself surrounded as the three monsters all came at him from different sides. Activating his Kaiten, the black haired boy was able to fight the creatures off and jump away. Unfortunately for the genin, the monsters recover faster than he expected, and by the time that the Leaf nin saw the large club coming down on his Byakugan, it was too late to dodge it, and the young man was slammed hard down into the ground.

"There you go!" Tayuya cheered for a second before continuing playing.

Pushing himself off the ground, the Hyuuga had less than a second to catch his breath, before he had to jump out the way as the largest of the three monsters came crashing down, its claws trained on the genin. The Byakugan user was able to move out of the way just in time to only have a graze on his shoulder from the attack.

When Neji looked up, he saw all three monsters closing in on him. Gritting his teeth, the Hyuuga planted his feet on the ground. "Hakke Rokujuyon Shou!" The black haired boy called out. Through his Byakugan, the young man could see the Doki step into his divination field.

The first two strikes hit the green and the bandaged monsters, the second two hit the shirtless one. The next four strikes were spread throughout, with the green one receiving two of them, but it only received two while the other had three in the next set of eight strikes. However, Neji was half way through the sixteen strikes of the fifth step, when he felt the already too familiar feel of the metal club going against his skin, sending the young boy flying to the side.

"Neji!" Kiba and Shikamaru cried out in unison as the two took a step forward. The sound of a string being pulled back almost to its breaking point stopped the pair on their tracks.

"Stay where you are…!" Neji called out as he forced himself back on his feet, whipping away a trickle of blood that ran from the corner of his mouth. "I said I was going to be the one to defeat her…" He stated as he took a few steps forward, one of his legs giving up, almost causing him to trip over.

Tayuya's laughter echoed through the forest. "That's a better look for you!" She exclaimed. "I just hope that you remember, at least for the couple of minutes you have to live, that it was me who took you down a peg." The redhead stated as she continued to laugh.

The black hared genin let out a short laugh of his own. "I am very sorry to inform you… But I was knocked down off my high horse a long time ago before I had the misfortune of meeting you." The Hyuuga informed, taking a second to look at the spiky haired boy that stood on the sidelines. "And also…" Neji lowered his body back into a fighting stance. "I'm not planning to die anytime soon." He glared at the three monsters as a smirk appeared on his face. "In the next attack, I will take them down."

The Sound kunoichi growled at the defiance she witnessed. "Then I'll just have to prove you wrong on that!" The young woman called out before she started playing her flute again, this time at a faster tempo.

The Doki immediately responded, charging forwards at the young shinobi.

"Hakke Hyakunijuhachi Shou…" Neji muttered.

It was almost as if a chakra explosion went off in the forest as dust was pushed to every direction, preventing anyone from seeing what was happening within the young man's divination circle.

Even with their respective Sharingan, all that Naruto and Sasuke could see were countless of chakra streaks shoot out of the dome of dust that encompassed their teammate and the three monsters.

Suddenly, the Doki came out flying out of the cloud of smoke, falling a lifelessly by the tree where Tayuya was standing on. "What…?" The girl said in disbelief.

Once the dust was clear out, the Hyuuga stood painting heavily, but with a triumphant smirk on his face. "You can play your flute all you want, but I doubt that their bodies will respond to it anymore." He stated.

The redhead started shaking in anger. "How… How dare you…?" The kunoichi struggled to say through their building rage.

A sigh escaped Sakon. "Here we go again…" The blue haired teen muttered.

"I'm going to kill you! You bastard!" Tayuya screamed as the dark pattern started to grow and spread until it covered her entire body. The kunoichi's skin turned dark brown as several horns sprouted from her head.

"This again…" Sasuke said as he observed the transformation, his hand subconsciously moving to the seal on his left side of his neck.

Neji saw how far the changes went with his Byakugan. Her chakra went through the roof and became darker and more menacing.

"Let me play for you… A most wicked melody." The redhead said as she brought the flute back to her mouth. "Makyou no Ran!" She exclaimed before starting to play a whole new song.

The Doki's bodies started to convulse on the ground. Suddenly the seam over their mouth came undone. Out of each of the monster's body, a cloud of smoke started to come out, but what really surprised the Leaf nins were the multiple mouths that started to open on the clouds of smoke.

Tayuya glared at the black haired boy. "This demon will not stop until they finish devouring your flesh!" She called out through her song, right before the three monsters shot forward to attack.

* * *

Hinata walked through the streets of Konoha, admiring all the effort that it was still being put on its rebuilding. "I'm sure that they will be done in no time." The girl cheerfully said to herself.

"Hinata-chan! Hinata-chan!" At the sound of her name being called, the blue haired girl turned around to find Tenten walking excitedly towards her, with Sakura following quietly behind her. "Hey!" The brown haired girl called out as she got nearer.

The Hyuuga gave her fellow kunoichi a courteous bow. "Tenten-san… Sakura." She greeted them.

The older girl smiled. "It's surprising to bump into you twice in one day." She commented.

Nodding, Hinata returned the smile. "Well, since Kiba-kun and Shino-kun are both out on missions of their own, I did not feel right staying the entire day at the Hyuuga compound." The girl informed. "So I decided to take walk through the village… I have not done so since before the attack." She added.

"Oh, I see…" Tenten said in response. "Ah! Now that you mentioned it!" She suddenly exclaimed. "Remember that you told me that Neji went off with Kiba on the mission? Well, according to Sakura, Naruto and Shikamaru accompanied them as well." The older girl informed.

A pair of white eyes widened. "Naruto-kun and Shikamaru as well?" The girl repeated, receiving a nod of confirmation from the other kunoichi. "Then it must be something really important if that many were sent…" The Byakugan user pointed out.

"It seems that way…" Tenten commented as she crossed her arms. "A boy from each of our teams was chosen."

Sakura mind trailed off after hearing the brown haired girl's comment. Yes, one member of each other their young teams was sent off on that mission, but it was all to bring back the third member of her team. At that moment, the pink haired girl would have given anything to be with those guys searching for Sasuke, fighting for the future of Team Seven.

What type of challenges was the makeshift team of four young men going to face? Would they get along? Would Sasuke resist? What if they were attack by someone else after they found the Uchiha? What if they were attacked before?

"The biggest problem for those idiots will probably be finding their way back home." At the sound of Tenten's words, Sakura snapped out of her train of thought. Looking at the two girls next to her, Sakura realized that they had probably seen her dazed and worried face from a moment ago because Hinata had a worried look of her own and Tenten tried to smile reassuringly.

The Haruno tried to smile back, but all that she could do was nod. "Yes… Most likely…" The girl tried to agree.

"You know…. Neji-niisan has been training a lot more this last couple of weeks." Hinata commented, trying to deviate the conversation even if by a bit.

Tenten nodded in agreement. "Yes, I think he has already put in more hours than he did back during the Chunin Exam…" The older girl informed. "He has taken advantage that our team missions are on hold until Lee recovers. All he has been doing lately is training!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air for emphasis.

The Hyuuga giggled at the brown haired girl's antics. "Yes, Kiba-kun has gotten a lot more serious about his training after the attack as well. Saying that he's not going to be _saved_ by anyone ever again… Whatever that means…?" She said. "But when I said he was starting to look like Shino-kun, he got all red and stormed off." The girl giggled. "Some people just get flustered too easily." She commented as she giggled.

Sakura and Tenten tried her best not to roll their eyes at the blue haired girl's words.

"Anyways!" The brown haired girl suddenly started again. "It seems that all of our boys are getting stronger and stronger at an alarming rate, soon they are going to leave us behind." She stated. "So we should start training ourselves and show those idiots with are just as strong as they are! If not better!" The older kunoichi exclaimed.

Before the other two could say anything about the matter, Tenten grabbed them both by the hand and started pulling them along. "Hol… Hold on a second…. Tenten-san!" Hinata called out, trying her best not to get caught up in the moment.

"No time!" The brown haired called back. "We have to find Ino-chan and start training right away!" She exclaimed.

At that moment, all that Sakura and Hinata could think about was that, while Neji was training, perhaps Tenten had been spending too much time with Lee and their sensei.

* * *

Even with his Byakugan activated, Neji's vision was still getting blurry as he jumped around the forest trying to get away from the demons. In the last couple of minutes, the battle had taken a turn for the worse for the genin. His cloths were already stained by blood due to the flesh-eating monsters onslaught.

In their current form, the Doki were immune to any of the Hyuuga's juuken strike and were able to fight off his Kaiten with more ease.

Feeling a sudden jolt of pain from his leg, Neji look down at his leg and cursed. Not only was one of the monster biting down on his ankle, but the fact that he did not see it coming meant that his Byakugan was failing as well.

"How do you like it?" Tayuya's voice asked through the music. "The song that accompanies the Doki's dinner?" She asked before she started laughing.

With his foot hurt, the black haired boy missed a step fell crashing down to ground.

"Neji, look out!" Kiba cried out desperately as the Hyuuga tried to push his body off the ground.

Despite the Inuzuka's call, it was too late for the older genin to do anything to stop the next attack. All three demons bite down on his body, one in the leg, one in the hip, and the third one on the shoulder.

"Gyaaargh!" Neji's painful scream echoed through the forest.

"Damn it!" Naruto cursed and he took out a kunai and moved forward. The next second, an arrow fell less than two inches from the spiky haired boy's foot. Sharingan eyes immediately looked up at the trees.

Kidomaru smirked at the murderous glare he received. "Sorry, but this is not a multiplayer campaign." He joked as he trained another arrow at the blond.

The Uzumaki growled at the tanned man. He was more than ready to take on the strange looking shinobi, but he was not sure if he would be able to burn that bow away before the Oto nin could shoot at one of his comrades.

Before Naruto could act, another shout redirected his attention. "Aaaah!" Neji cried out. There was no pain in this scream, just sheer force of will as the next second chakra exploded out of the Hyuuga's body, pushing the Doki back.

One of thee black haired genin's leg give up and he fell to one knee in the middle of the forest. The monster that had bitten on his shoulder had ripped out the sleeve and part of the shirt's collar.

Everyone was surprised at the sight in front of them. Now that part of his body was in clear view, they all could see the many scars scattered all over the Hyuuga's alabaster skin, some that appeared to have healed only a few hour ago.

"What's this…?" Tayuya asked. Ever since they started their fight, she had thought that her opponent was the typical stuck-up member of an elite clan. She believed she was fighting the type of person that never had to work hard for anything in his life, but now, looking at his body, maybe she was mistaken.

"Please ignore the scars…" Neji calmly said, snapping everyone out of their similar trains of thought. "Let's just say that I went a little too far with my training."

The redhead growled at the return of the genin's nonchalant attitude. "It doesn't matter anymore… You're body is going to be mincemeat pretty soon!" She exclaimed before continuing playing her flute.

As the Doki rushed towards him, the Hyuuga simply closed his eyes. "No…" He muttered. "I told you that I will be the victor…" The black haired said as the rate of chakra that his body was emanation skyrocketed.

With their Sharingan, Naruto and Sasuke could see the chakra spilling out of the older boy and how it started to concentrate on his back.

"Hakke…" Neji said as he embraced his own arms and hunched over. _"Naruto… Take a good look… These are the wings that you and Hinata-sama have given me."_ He thought as he forced chakra on his back to start to gather more tightly together. "Tenhoshou!" The young man called out.

Just as the Doki were about to bite back down on the Hyuuga's body, the chakra on his back became visible to everyone else in the forest as two shining pairs of swords appeared hovering over the genin's back, almost as if they were wings.

Suddenly, one of the blades started shining brighter than the rest. Neji straightened back up and swung one arm forward, the brightest blade immediately followed the motion, slashing one of the Doki in two, causing both the monster and it disappear, and sending out a shockwave that pushed the remaining two away.

"What?" Tayuya screamed incredulously.

Shikamaru's eyes were as wide as they could be. "Incredible… Each of those _wings_ is like a reshaped Kaiten." The Nara said. "All that chakra compressed into that shape… It must really pack a punch…"

The Byakugan user took a few steps forward, the three remaining blades following his every move. "Like I said before… No sound that you produce with that instrument of your can hurt me." The black haired boy declared.

The monstrous girl shook with anger. "Shut up!" She cried out before ordering the two Doki to attack.

Neji was not even fazed by the two incoming demons, instead the young man simply extended his arm to the side and immediately another wing started to shine. Beckoning the blade to swing forward, the chakra weapon slashed the two fanged monsters clean through before disappearing. "Stop already. Your actions are futile." The Leaf nin stated, two wings still on each side of his back.

Shaking uncontrollably in fury, Tayuya gripped her flute. "I hate you… I hate you…" She muttered. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" The red head started screaming before starting to play something that no one could hear on the flute. "I'm going to kill you even if it's the last thing I do!"

Sensing something was off, Shikamaru looked up at the trees and gasped in surprised. To the Nara, it appeared as if something invisible was growing among the trees, pushing leaves and branches out of the way as it expanded. "Air pressure…" The black haired boy said as he realized that a giant wall of pressure was being built up in the trees. "She's planning to drop that thing down on herself and Neji!" He exclaimed.

The Hyuuga looked up and the only sign of acknowledgment he gave to the building air pressure was a narrowing of his eyes. Wordlessly, the Byakugan user jumped onto a tree and rushed towards the Sound kunoichi.

"Die!" Tayuya cried out as the wall of air above their head started to come down.

Now closer to the redhead, the last two wings on Neji's back begun to glow. Just as he started to feel the air pressure above him, the black haired teen brought both of his hands together in front of him, causing the blades to follow suit and combined into a single concentrated mass of chakra. Neji swung his arms downward, releasing a potent blast of chakra that hit the Oto nin across her body.

The air pressure disappeared as Tayuya was propelled through the forest, flying trough branches and tree trunks, until her body fell limply onto the dirt.

Back on the ground, the younger Leaf genins breathed sighs of relief as the panting Hyuuga straightened back up, turned to face them, and presented a knowing smirk. The next second, their eyes widened in horror as an arrow flew drilling through Neji's chest, leaving a gaping hole behind as the teen fell with a silent scream caught on the boy's throat, blood already falling spilling freely from the wound and his mouth.

"Neji!" Naruto and Kiba shouted in unison as they rushed forward. The blond was just barely able to catch his teammate's falling form before it hit the ground.

"I'm your next opponent!" Kidomaru called out from a tree, an arrow trained on Uzumaki and the Inuzuka, as a delightful smile formed on his face in responds to their murderous glare. "So, who's going to step up to the challenge?" The teen with the six arms asked.

* * *

Hakke Rokujuyon Shou – Eight Divination Signs, Sixty-Four Palms

Hakke Hyakunijuhachi Shou – Eight Divination Signs, One-Hundred and Twenty-Eight Palms

Makyou no Ran – Revolt of Demonic Spirits

Hakke Tenhoshou – Eight Divination Signs, Heaven Sentinel (Made up)

* * *

**Kisame – **You know, I was prepared to label this chapter as a fail until that little twist at the end.

**Lee –** Neji!

**Kisame – **I like when good guys get slapped around.

**Lee –** You have to hold on, Neji!

**Kisame –** Though, he's getting even more annoying…

**Lee –** Don't go into the light!

**Itachi –** Even if this chapter doesn't really show it, while working on his other story, Phoenixsun has gotten more comfortable with writing fight scenes. This would help PHD's update rate in the future.

**Kisame –** Then again, what's an improvement over atrocious

**Itachi –** You still on that?

**Kisame –** The right answer was _awkward_!

**Itachi –** You know what else Phoenixsun has gotten better on? Holding grudges… So I would shut up if I were you.

**Lee –** Neji, don't give up!


	25. Over the Moon

**Itachi –** Well, it has certainly been a while since…

**Kisame –** Argh! Goddamnit!

**Lee –** Yosh! Take that!

**Itachi –** You guys still playing that video game?

**Kisame - ** Hey! Phoenixsun was hogging it for himself all this time, saying he was using it for motivation. This is the first time we really get to play it… Damn it!

**Lee –** And here comes my ultimate jutsu!

**Kisame –** Aargh!

**Itachi –** Ok, I believe this is the first time you play it… Because you pretty much suck at it.

**Kisame –** Shut up!

**Itachi –** Anyways… We're sorry for the delay. Here's PHD chapter 25.

* * *

_**Over the Moon**_

"Neji!" Kiba shouted. "Get your ass out here right now or I swear I will leave without you!" The Inuzuka added with a growl while next to him Akamaru barked, giving his support to his partner's words.

The young brown haired boy went back to pace back and forth in front of the Hyuuga Compound and every so often he would send a glare at the door as Akamaru barked again. Soon enough, however, the genin lost his patience again. "Neji! Hurry up!" He shouted.

"Kiba-kun…" The Inuzuka suddenly heard a soft voice called out to him, causing him to immediately tense up and a blush to spread all over his face. "What's the matter? Why are you shouting?" Hinata asked as she poked her head out of the Compound's door. "Do we have a mission?" She asked confused.

"Uh… I… Uhm…" The hooded boy tripped over his own words, all reasoning having abandoned him. "I… I'm waiting for Neji, Hinata-chan." He finally said. "We're supposed to go on a mission right now." Kiba explained.

Akamaru barked, confirming the genin's words.

The blue haired girl eyed her teammate curiously. "Oh?" She completely stepped outside of the compound and stood before the Inuzuka. "How come you are going with Neji-niisan?" She asked.

Kiba visibly tensed up at the question. "Oh… Nothing really, it's just that we have to leave as soon as possible, but the mission is nothing more than a fetch quest…" As he said that, the young man's eyes looked at everything except his teammate.

The look the young Hyuuga gave to the Inuzuka made it clear that she did no buy his explanation for one second. "Tell me the truth, Kiba-kun, what are you going to do?" The kunoichi insisted. "Is it dangerous?" She added as her voiced changed to a worried tone.

Berating himself for worrying the girl in from of him, the brunette tried to find a way to appease her worries. "No, no, it's nothing dangerous." He assured her. "Like I said, we just have to go out, track this thing down, and bring it back to the village." Kiba explained, putting a cheerful smile on while Akamaru barked in agreement. "It's just that the more time we take to set out, the longer it will take us to find it. I bet Shikamaru and Naruto are already waiting for us at the gate and we just have to…" Immediately, the young man knew he had screwed up.

"Naruto-kun and Shikamaru-kun are going as well?" Hinata repeated in surprise. "The four of you? Kiba-kun this cannot possibly be as trivial as you are making it out to be." Her lavender eyes gave her teammate a determined look. "Tell me, what is going on?" She asked again.

The Inuzuka took a couple of steps back, completely at a loss of words for what to say to the young Hyuuga. Shikamaru had told him to keep the matter as discreet as possible and he knew that Naruto would not be to please if he started divulging things about his team. Looking for help, the hooded boy looked down at his partner, Akamaru gave him a helpless look that he was sure matched his own.

Hinata was about to take a step forwards and ask again, but was interrupted as a new, strong voice joined in. "Kiba." Neji said as he stepped out of the Hyuuga Compound, all of his gear packed and ready. "My apologies… I had to inform Hiashi-sama that I will be leaving for a mission." The older genin explained.

Both Kiba and Akamaru let out a sigh of relief at the sight of their new, temporary, teammate as Hinata's attention was drawn away from them and toward the long haired boy. "Neji-niisan, what is going on? What are you doing with Naruto-kun and Shikamaru-kun?" She asked.

Unlike the Inuzuka, the older genin remained unfazed by the girl's questions. "I sorry, Hinata-sama, but that is something we are not to talk about at the moment." Neji calmly explained, his eyes moving from his cousin to the hooded boy. "In fact, Kiba was not even supposed to mention anything." He said as his lavender eyes narrowed slightly into a glare.

The brunette scratched his head and let out an uneasy laugh while Akamaru's ears dropped in embarrassment.

"Neji-niisan, please…" Hinata instead, looking at the older Hyuuga's eyes pleadingly.

Ever since the formation of Team Eight, Kiba had known about the tense relationship between Hinata and her relatives, so seeing Neji giving the girl a reassuring look and softly placing a hand on her shoulder shocked the Inuzuka. "Please, do not worry about it Hinata-sama. Everyone will be back before you know it." He said before stepping back, giving a slight bow and starting to walk off.

Akamaru's bark snapped Kiba out of his trance. "That's right, Hinata, you don't have to worry." The boy said, managing to produce a large and bright grin as he gave his teammate the thumbs up. "Because I will be there to protect everyone!" He stated before turning around and going after Neji with Akamaru in tow.

_**End Flashback**_

* * *

"Neji!" Naruto was barely able to reach in time to catch his teammate's body before he hit the ground. Looking down, the pair of sapphire eyes widened as they took notice of how much paler the older genin had already become.

"You bastad!" The blonde's eyes were tore away from Neji when he heard someone let out a furious roar next to him. Looking at his side, the spiky haired teen saw Kiba suddenly lunge himself at the Sound nin.

The Inuzuka felt his hand become clawed as he swiped forward with all of his strength at the tanned teen.

Kidomaru simply smirked before effortlessly jumping back and evading the strike intended for him. Instead, the Leaf genin's attack hit the branch that the Oto nin had be standing on, obliterating it into tiny splinters. "Ooh… You have some fangs, don't you?" Kidomaru teased as he landed safely away from his attacker.

Several branches away, Kiba was heaving as he glared at the six-armed teen. "Damn you…" The brunette growled as he flexed his clawed hands. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did to Neji!" He shouted before charging forward once more, swinging his claws at the Sound shinobi again and again.

Letting out an amused laugh, Kidomaru continued dodge the younger boy's attacks. "Well, it seems we have a new player!" He announced as he jumped back and drew an arrow on his bow. "Let's test does skills of yours…" The strange teen proposed as he let go of the arrow.

The Leaf genin saw the arrow coming towards him and immediately started to turn his body in mid air in an attempt to dodge it. Unfortunately, however, the projectile was coming too fast and the hooded boy could not get out of the way quickly enough. Kiba had no choice but to close his eyes and brace for the piercing impact.

Suddenly, the Inuzuka felt something soft hit him on one of his cheeks. Kiba's eye snapped open and he saw Akamaru tackling him out of the way. With impressive strength, the small dog was able to clear his partner out of the arrows path, letting the projectile simply fly through and hit a tree behind them, destroying its trunk on impact.

Landing on a branch, the Konoha genin tried to catch his breath. Looking at the side, he saw Akamaru land safely and giving him a worried look. "Thanks, partner…" Kiba said, earning a bark from the small dog. "Yeah, you're right. I have to calm down…" He commented as he strengthened back up.

"Kidomaru!" An irritated Sakon screamed. "Stop messing around! Get the Uchiha and let's go!" The blue haired boy called out. Sakon tightened his fist as he surveyed the situation. Both Jirobo and Tayuya were taken out, they're mark still had three Leaf nins around to protect him, and they were running out of time. The young man cursed himself under his breath for letting such a simply capture mission get out of control like this. His only consolation was the Kimimaro was nowhere in sight to punish him for it.

The tanned young man let out of scuff. "No way in hell!" Kidomaru exclaimed. "Both the fatso and the bitch got to have their fun. It's my turn now and I chose this guy and his dog to be by opponent!" He announced in glee as he pointed another arrow at the Inuzaka pair.

Kiba narrow his eyes and bore his fangs at the Oto nin, a few branch from him, Akamaru mimicked his actions. "Let's go partner…" The brunette said as he and his dog crouched down, ready to launch another attack.

"Kiba!" Naruto called out from his position on the ground with Neji, behind him Shikamaru and Sasuke were running towards him.

The hooded boy glanced down at his teammates for a second. "Stay out of this, guys…" The genin growled, his mind replaying the promise he had made before leaving the village again and again, the promise that now lay broken. "He's ours!" He stated before charging forwards with Akamaru.

The smile on Kidomaru's face widened. "That's the way!" He exclaimed before letting another arrow fly towards his opponents.

Without having to think about it twice, Kiba made a hand seal as Akamaru let out a bark and, with a puff of smoke, the small dog transformed into an exact copy of his partner. The two Kiba then used the sole of each other's shoe to push themselves out of the arrow's wait and started circling around the Sound nin.

Kidomaru followed one hooded boy and the switched to the other. Smiling, the six-armed teen jumped up just as both the genin and his dog came down with their claws on the branch he had been standing on. "You will have to craftier than that!" The Oto shinobi commented before taking in a deep breath. "Kumo Shibari!" He called out, spewing a large spider web on top of his opponents.

The two Kiba bore their fangs up at their enemy as the net descended towards them. "Gatsuga!" The real Kiba called out before him and Akamaru starting spinning and shot upwards, tearing through the spider web and tree branches on their way towards the tanned boy.

"Oh? A special attack?" Kidomaru asked excitedly as the two small tornados approaching him. "Kumo Nenkin!" He called out before spiting a golden liquid onto each of his six hands that immediately hardened into six clubs as strong as metal. The Sound nin brought his new weapons up in defense just as the spinning attacks were about to hit him, effectively blocking them. "Sorry, but not strong enough." The young man commented as he pushed back, stopping the spinning attacks and leaving Kiba and the de-transformed Akamaru hanging defenseless in mid air.

The Oto shinobi was about to launch his own attack, but he was stop on his tracks when he saw both of his opponents smirking.

Before Kidomaru could do anything, the Inuzuka quickly ate a small black pill and threw another one at his partner. Akamaru caught it with his mouth, his fur immediately turning red before he transformed into his partner once more. "Gatsuga!" Kiba shouted again before the two of them started spinning with restore vigor and pushed up.

Bringing his club forward again, the Sound nin tried to block the incoming attack once more, but when the spinning vortexes made contact with his weapons, he realized how much stronger the attack was this time. "Wha… What the hell? Is this a cheat?" He questioned just before all six clubs broke apart, allowing the two tornadoes to push on upwards, impaling him right in the chest. "Gyaaah!" Kidomaru screamed as he body was pushed by the pair from Konoha through tree after tree.

Kiba and Akamaru finally landed safely on a branch as the momentum of their attack continued to send Kidomaru forward until his back ultimately hit a tree.

The six-armed team used the tree trunk behind him as leverage to stand back up. "Ha… Ha…. Well, that was unexpected…" He said through pants. "I guess… I have no other choice up to up the ante…" He added, suddenly regaining his composure as a vine-like pattern spread throughout his body.

"This guy has one too?" The Inuzaka exclaimed as Akamaru whimpered and cowered slightly.

"Heheh…" Kidomaru laugh, all signs of exhaustion from the attack he had received having disappeared. "Since you have your little mutt helping you, why don't we make things fair?" He proposed before starting to make hand seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" He called out, slamming his palm on the branch. Immediately a cloud of smoke covered the tanned boy.

Akamaru let out a louder whimper as he took a hesitant step back, meanwhile, Kiba simply gulped.

As the smoke dissipated, a strange and terrifying sound, somewhere between a screech and a growl, was heard. "Let me present you to my partner…" Kidomaru said as the smoke finally clear, revealing the young man standing on top on a gigantic spider. "Say _hi_…" The six armed shinobi instructed, addressing the spider.

Immediately, the giant arachnid shot a stream of web at the astonished brunette.

Kiba and Akamaru barely had enough time to snap out of their trance and jump to the side to dodge the incoming attack. The giant spider continued shooting its web at the two, forcing them to continue jumping from branch to branch dodge the web streams.

Kidomaru watched in amusement as his opponents exhausted themselves trying to dodge the spider's attack. Seeing an opening too good to pass, the Oto nin spat out several golden clumps, sending them flying towards the hooded boy. As they flew through the air, the olden masses hardened into razor sharp blades that caught the preoccupied Inuzuka off guard. "Aargh!" The Leaf nin screamed as he fell onto a large branch.

The spider saw its opening and instantly shot a stream of web at its downed prey.

The Konoha genin was trying to get the blades out of his body when he looked up and saw the approaching attack. He tried to push his body back up, but the blade impaled on his legs prevented him from it.

"Woff!" Akamaru barked as he jumped in the way of the web, getting carried away by it and hitting a tree behind his partner. The web immediately started to hardened, sticking the small dug to the tree trunk as his fur returned to its normal color.

"Akamaru!" Kiba exclaimed, yanking the blade out of his leg and turning around to face his trapped partner. The genin was about to jump to his dog's aid when he's back was hit a new stream of web.

Kidomaru smiled wickedly. "Gotcha'!" The six-armed teen shouted in glee. "Guys… Dinner is ready…" He added.

Immediately, Kiba turned his head to look back, his eyes widened at what he saw. The web attached to his back led all the way to Kidomaru and the giant spider, and on it dozens of smaller spiders were crawling towards him.

Gritting his teeth, the brunette quickly reached for one of his pockets and took out another Solder Ration Pill. "Akamaru, you know what to do!" The young man called out, throwing the pill at his trapped partner.

The small dog caught and ate the pill again and immediately his fur turned red once more. Akamaru let out a surprisingly strong bark before his body was suddenly covered in flames that burned the webs binding him. Still covered in fire, the familiar jumped forward, biting the web off Kiba.

As the smaller spiders fell off the falling web and onto branches, Kidomaru was left genuinely surprised at the turn of events. "What the hell was that?" He asked.

Instead of answered, the Inuzaka simply smirked as his clawed hand suddenly started to emanate large amounts of chakra. "Akamaru, let's go! Shouroga!" He exclaimed. The red dog jumped one to the next branch as Kiba swiped his clawed hand forward, releasing a powerful gust of wind.

Akamaru let out another powerful bark as the wind coming from behind him seem to feed the fire on his body, causing it to grow and shoot forward. The flames suddenly took shape a large wolf speeding through the air and burning down branches, webs, and spiders alike on its path towards Kidomaru and the giant arachnid.

"What that…?" Hurridly, the tanned shinobi instructed the spider to jump out of the way right before the fiery wolf came crashing down where they had been standing.

From their location, Kiba let out a short laugh. "Impressive, isn't it?" He said as Akamaru barked in agreement. "After I got knock out of the Chunin Exam, my mom and my sister put the both of us through a very intense chakra manipulation training." The brunette revealed. "Unfortunately, I still haven't gotten a hang of shape manipulation, but Akamaru here is kind of a prodigy at it, even if his chakra reserves are not that large." The small dog barked in agreement again. "And that's where we lucked out, since my elemental chakra affinity ended up being wind."

Back on the ground, Shikamaru's eyes widened after hearing his teammate's revelation. "That's brilliant…" He whispered.

"What is it?" Naruto asked from even further below as he used the small medic equipment they have brought with them to at least stop Neji's blood lost.

"If what he said is true, then they can bypass Akamaru's limitation by using Kiba's wind chakra to feed Akamaru's fire one, who can then control its shape like in the jutsu we just saw." The Nara explained as a small smirk appeared on his face. "I thought that those two were a good match before… But now I know that they are perfect for each other." He commented. However, as his eyes traveled from the Inuzuka to the six-armed teen, the chunin's face became serious again. _"But if this guy is like that girl… Then he must have one more transformation left…"_ The team leader reasoned.

Kiba continued to smirk as his claws started to emanate chakra again. "Let's go, partner!" He exclaimed before charging forward with Akamaru.

A scuff escaped Kidomaru. "Well, I admit it was a nice combo…" He commented. "But all I have to do to beat it is keep you two separate." The Oto nin pointed before spitting more golden blades at the small dog while the spider shot its web towards the Leaf genin.

With his wind chakra enhanced claws, the Inuzuka did not have to bother to dodge the streams of web coming at him as he could just rip them to shreds with his hands. Even after the monstrous spider sped up the rate of shots, the genin continue to have no trouble fending them off.

Unfortunately, that was not the case for Akamaru, as his fire chakra could not affect sticky gold fast enough and did had to dodge the incoming projectiles. Kidomaru soon became aware of this and shot a long stream of the gold substance, catching the red dog in mid air. "Gotcha' now!" The Sound shinobi exclaimed as he was about to reel his prey in.

"Akamaru!" Kiba yelled for his partner and, in that moment of distraction, one of the spider's shots caught the genin on his forearm. However, instead of worrying, the brunette smirked as he move to the side and swung his trapped arm around, causing the long strip of web to get tangled with the gold one that had his partner trapped. "Here we go! This is our own variation…!" Kiba called out as he started making hand seals.

Back with the rest of the Leaf shinobi, Sasuke recognized the seals.

"Ryuuka no Jutsu!" The young man said before sending a vast amount of chakra down the spider web.

The moment the chakra reached Akamaru, the small dog let out another powerful bark, shooting a giant, dragon head shaped stream of fire through the rest of the web.

Kidomaru was caught by surprise and had no other option but to let go of the sticky gold and jump out of the way. Looking down, the tanned teen saw how the dragon head seemingly consumed the giant spider. With a screeching wail, the monstrous creature fell to the ground with its body still cover in flames. By the time Kidomaru tried to undo the summoning, the spider was already dead. "Tch… Now I'm angry." The Oto nin said as he glared at the younger boy and his dog. "I'm getting sick and tired of this game… Let's skip to final level already!" He declared as the markings around his body started to glow and expand.

Just like his teammates before him, Kidomaru's body took a demonic shape with his hair turning white and increasing in volume, his skin turning to a dark, maroon color, a pair of horns emerging on his head, and a third eye opening on his forehead.

"Well… That's certainly an ugly look…" Kiba tried to joke, but he could not ignore the sensation of dread that his opponent's chakra was giving off. Looking down and seeing the worry look on Akamaru's face, the brunette fought off any hesitation from his voice. "Let's hit him with the big one, partner." He said.

Looking up, Akamaru followed his friends lead, shaking off his own hesitation and barking in agreement before transforming into Kiba once again.

"Shougaroga!" Kiba called out as both he and his doppelganger started spinning, and one of them ignited in flames. The two small tornados shot forwards and began to intertwined, forming one massive vortex of flames that destroyed anything on its way to the Sound shinobi.

For his part, the transformed Kidomaru simply planted his feet on the branch he was standing on and braced himself for the incoming attack.

The blazing fang hit the six-armed monster square in the chest and drove his body through trees and branches with immense force.

Finishing their attack, both the Inuzuka and his partner stopped spinning, landed on a branch, and watched as the momentum of the technique continued to push the Oto nin. However, they were boy surprised when the transformed teen simply landed on a branch and held his ground.

"Well, that was a little spicier than I predicted…" Kidomaru commented off handedly as he looked down at his chest. A hole had been burned on the young man's clothes, revealing a patch of seared skin. "But I think that the armor held up ok…" The Sound shinobi commented as the burn skin turned gold and broke off his chest, leaving behind unscathed maroon skin.

"Damn it…!" Kiba cursed at the realization that their attack had been useless.

A gleeful laugh escaped Kidomaru. "Now, don't beat yourself up over it…" He commented as he cracked three of his knuckles. "I was way out of your league from the very start." He stated before charging forwards for the first time.

Kiba and the still transformed Akamaru jumped out of way as the monstrous shinobi came crashing down where they had been standing. The two then circled around the six-armed teen, before closing in to strike. Unfortunately, despite of their impressive speed, Kidomaru dodge their attack with ease.

"It's my turn now…" The Sound nin commented. Before the Inuzuka could react, three fists connected with his body, sending him flying through branches. Out of the corner of his eye, the genin could see Akamaru being send flying as well.

Naruto and the others watched their teammate struggle against his opponent.

Kiba and Akamaru tried to offset Kidomaru sheer strength with their speed, but the transformed teen seemed to have no problems dodging all of their attacks, and even the few that managed to land appeared to have no effect on monstrous shinobi.

The Sora Sharingan appeared on the blonde's eyes, as he prepared to jump in at a moment's notice.

The Konoha genin watched in growing dread as his enemy seemingly fazed out of existence just as his claw was about to hit him. The next thing he knew, a powerful kick connected with the back of his head, sending him flying straight at Akamaru with enough force that both of them fell down to the ground.

"We can't keep going like this…" Kiba muttered as he pushed himself off the ground. Glancing at his side, he saw Akamaru also trying to get back up. "What do you say, partner, are you up for one more?" The young man asked.

The transformed dog looked up and weakly gave a nod.

Gathering chakra, the Leaf genin and his dog stared down at their smirking opponent. "Shougaroga!" Once again the two started spinning and converged into a giant vortex of flames as they charged towards their target.

"If you want to play it like that, then let's settle this!" Kidomaru shouted before spewing the golden substance onto one of his right arms, which hardened in the shape of a large spiked gauntlet. "Come on!" He called out as he reeled his fist back and pumped chakra into it.

As the fang approached, the six-armed teen punched forward. The attacks met on a stalemate that sent a powerful shockwave through the forest. Kidomaru glanced down and was somewhat surprised to find out that his golden gauntlet had started cracking. "Well… This has been fun…" He admitted before the friction of the attack caused an explosion that swallowed all three of them.

* * *

"Geeze… I already told you, Tenten, I can't go with you today!" An annoyed Ino exclaimed at the older girl from behind the counter of her family's flower shop.

For her part, Tenten simply crossed her arms. "Just tell your mother to let you leave early today and let's go!" The brunette insisted.

The blond sighed as she busied herself by rearranging things on the shop. "It's not only that… The true is that I just don't feel like going to train today." She finally admitted.

"How can you say that?" Tenten asked alarmed. "That behavior is the reason why most of the boys are out in some sort of secret mission while us kunoichi were left behind." The older genin exclaimed in indignation.

Ino let herself fall on her seat in exhaustion. "Is not like I'm saying that I'm not serious about my training…" The Yamanaka said. "In fact just yesterday I spent most of the day training with my dad, I had planned to take it easy today but I had to come here and help run the shop." She tried to explain. "And that's why I don't want to go training, I just want to relax today."

Tenten did not back off and instead moved closer to the counter. "That's not good enough!" She exclaimed. "The guys don't care about consecutive days of training and neither should we!" She pointed out.

The two kunoichi continued their argument back and forth inside the shop, despite having been at for almost two hours. Meanwhile, just outside, Hinata sat patiently and could not help but smile at her friends' antics.

"I'm sorry…" Sakura said weakly as she walked up to Hinata and sat next to her.

The Hyuuga gave her former classmate a confused look. "What do you mean, Sakura-chan?" She asked. "What do you have to apologize for?"

Sighing, the pink haired girl simply starred into space. "For dragging you out here, for Tenten suddenly channeling Lee, for the guys being sent out… Basically for this whole situation." She finally said.

The Byakugan user started at the girl for a couple of seconds. "Neji-niisan did not want to tell me what their mission was about." The kunoichi said. "Are you saying that…?"

Sakura nodded at the blue haired girl's question. "Yes, it has to do with Team Seven." The Haruno answered.

Immediately, an alarmed looked appeared on Hinata's face. "Is something wrong with Naruto-kun?" She asked worriedly. When her former classmate shook her head weakly, she relaxed a bit, but remained concerned. "So… It is about Sasuke-kun…" The Hyuuga realized.

The pink haired genin merely nodded dumbly.

Seeing tears threaten to fall off her friend's emerald eyes, the Byakugan user placed a comforting hand over hers. "Do not worry about it, Sakura-chan." The girl instructed. "Everything is going to turn out fine." She said. "Naruto-kun and Neji-niisan are very strong, and Shikamaru-kun was always the smartest one among us." Hinata offered a warm smile to her fellow kunoichi. "Also, Kiba-kun promised that everyone will be safe." She informed. "And he did it we such confidence that I have no other choice but to believe him."

* * *

"_Back at home… I was always overshadowed by my sister… She was so good with our clan's techniques that mom could not help to compare all I did with her."_ The forest's ground was really uncomfortable to lie on. _"Things didn't get better in school… Sasuke immediately took the title of best student while Shikamaru was the smartest… I even tried to be the class clown… But I couldn't compete with Naruto…"_ The burning smell around him was irritating his nose. _"Even in my team… Shino had all the skills and Hinata-chan had the potential… I was left behind again…"_

In the smoke covered forest, Kiba slowly opened his eyes. Seeing Akamaru, back to his usual, white-furred self, struggling to stand up on shaky legs, the Inuzuka tried to push his body off the ground as well.

Once up, the brunette looked at himself. He had several burns and bruises all over his body, even his trusty jacket was all tore up after the explosion. There were several trees on the ground around him while dust and smoke still lingered on the air, but Kidomaru was nowhere to be found. _"Hinata-chan… I was unable to protect Neji…"_ The Leaf nin lamented. _"But… But at the very least… I beat…"_ His train of thought was interrupted when he heard a strange sound.

Suddenly, the sight of a weird shape arrow appeared through the smoke spinning towards them. Kiba was too transfixed to move out of the projectile's way, but the felt something soft push him to the side.

Once again, Akamaru had leapt to the aid of his partner and push him out of harm's way. Unfortunately for the small dog, he was not so lucky this time and the drilling managed to graze him pretty badly.

"Akamaru!" The Inuzuka screamed as he caught the little dog on the air. A red patch was already growing on the animal's back.

"That's some pretty loyal partner you have there..." Kidomaru's voice reached the genin's ear, causing him to turn around.

To the brunette's horror, the monstrous teenager landed on a branch above him, virtually unharmed.

The Oto nin smirked down at his opponent as he threw away the bow he was holding. "I have to admit that last attack was stronger than the first one." He said, showing how the hand he had used to challenge the attack was now completely burned up to the forearm. "I think I might lose it… But I doubt I will miss it." The transformed nin joke as he showed off his five remaining hands.

Kiba held his gaze up at his enemy for a couple of seconds before lowering down back at his dog. "You were great today, pal…" He whispered. "I could not have asked for a better partner." A small smiled formed on his face. "Thanks for everything…" He said before suddenly throwing Akamaru in the direction of his teammates.

Shikamaru was taken aback by Kiba's actions but was able to compose himself in time to catch the small dog. "Kiba! What are you doing?"

Instead of answering the question, the Inuzuka smile. "Take care of him!" He called out before turning to face the Sound shinobi.

"Oh?" Kidomaru said amused. "Are you going to continue this fight all by yourself?" He asked mockingly.

Kiba sent a glare up. "I have one more trick." He revealed before reaching for his pocket. "Shino was always going on and on that one should always have a trump card hidden…" The genin took out three Soldier Ration Pills. "I think this is what he was talking about…" He commented before swallowing all three of them at once.

"What the hell are you doing?" Shikamaru repeated his question with more urgency this time. The Nara and the rest of his team could only look as the Inuzuka seemed to gag on the pills for one moment before composing himself. Their eyes widens as large amounts of chakra started to pour out their teammate's body.

Closing his eyes, the Inuzuka started to concentrate, changing his chakra into wind chakra as leaves stated to circle around him. "Let's go…" Kiba said, opening his eyes.

"Heh…" Kidomaru smirked as he prepare for an attack. The Oto nin was surprised at the speed of his opponent, one moment the younger boy was standing below him and the next he was right in front of him. The transformed teen sent a powerful punch forward, but all he hit was air as the Leaf nin disappeared. Suddenly, Kidomaru felt something grab him under his shoulders from behind. "What the hell?" He exclaimed.

Looking back, all that the Sound nin could see was Kiba glowing with chakra and smirking. "Zetsuga!" Kiba said as the wind around them suddenly picked up, violently spinning the two of shinobi and propelling them up into the air.

The Oto nin struggled to break freak. "What the hell are you doing, you bastard?" He asked. The transformed teen tried to mold his chakra to get himself out, but the massive concentration of his opponent own chakra was preventing him from doing so. "Why are you doing this, you miserable wreck?" Kidomaru asked as he felt the wind chakra cutting through his armored skin as it spun.

It was Kiba's turn to laugh. "What? You don't like my last combo?" He mocked as they continue to move high up in the air. The trees, the ground, and their teammates were already a long way down.

"What are you planning on doing…?" The Oto nin asked, dread starting to seep into his voice.

"You'll see." Was all that the genin said right before the tornado they had formed suddenly arced downward.

Kidomaru's eyes widened in realization as he found himself speeding towards the ground. "What are you doing?" He asked, not bothering to mask his fear anymore. "You're going to kill us both!"

The Leaf nin's only responds was tightening his hold. "I have never been able to stand out among my friends… I wasn't even able to keep my promise." He confessed. "But at least… I can do this much." Kiba stated right before his jutsu drove him and Kidomaru into the ground with a thunderous impact.

"Kiba!" Naruto shouted. The blond had been rendered perplex during his friend's technique, but finally snapping out his stupor he stood up and rushed towards the crash site.

Sakon cursed under his breath. The mission that Orochimaru had assigned to them with the outmost importance had completely gone off rails. Kidomaru had pretty much asked for this outcome, and now that he was taken out, Sakon had to deal with this mess himself. Seeing the blond separate from the group, the pale teen decided that it was now time to act.

Out of all the Konoha shinobi that had interfere, the spiky aired one was the one that Sakon had been the most worried about, and now this was his chance to take the younger boy out as he was distracted.

The remaining Sound nin jumped off his branch to the ground and dashed after his target, a kunai already in hand. However, Sakon only managed a couple of steps before his body came to a complete halt. "What the hell is going on?" He asked as he looked around.

"I'm not letting you attack him from behind…" A serious voice caused Sakon to turn look behind. There stood the only Leaf nin from the group wearing a chunin jacket, the Sound shinobi could see that their shadows were connected.

"You're a Nara…" The Oto nin commented offhandedly. Suddenly, the blue haired teen realized that one of his hands was shaking. _"What the hell is this…?"_ He pondered. _"I'm not afraid of this guy…"_ He thought as he glanced at the Konoha shinobi.

Shikamaru's fist was shaking out of sheer anger and the same action was being forced on Sakon through the chunin's Kagemane technique. "I will be your opponent." The Nara stated as his eyes narrowed menacingly.

* * *

Kumo Shibari – Spider Bind

Gatsuga – Dual Piercing Fang

Kumo Nenkin – Spider Sticky Gold

Shouroga – Burning Wolf Fang (Made up)

Ryuuka no Jutsu – Dragon Fire Jutsu

Shougaroga – Burning Dual Wolf Fang (Made up)

Zetsuga – Final Piercing Fang (Made up)

* * *

**Kisame –** Heheh… ~Another one bites the dust~

**Lee –** Lots of made up jutsus on this chapter…

**Itachi –** Yeah, that has to do with one of Phoenixsun's biggest issues while writing this, besides having been very busy.

**Kisame –** You're talking as if he had a life…

**Itachi –** *Ignores* He had trouble writing Kiba's fight, so when he finally thought of something, it was a bit… Overpowering… So he had to reel it back in so more.

**Lee –** Yosh! Now I can wait see what he has plan for Kiba in the future!

**Kisame – **Heh… If the mutts survives this chapter.

**Itachi –** Lee… Why don't you show Kisame the last cutscene in the game's story mode… I'm sure he'll love it…

**Kisame –** Huh?

**Lee –** Yosh!

**Itachi –** Anyways. We will like to thank all of your for reading through this 25 chapters, we know it hasn't been easy. We'll see you next time on PHD's chapter 26: As a Leader.

**Lee –** Here's the scene, Kisame-san.

**Kisame –** Wha… What the hell is this?

**Itachi –** Heheh…


	26. As a Leader

**Kisame – **So… What gives? Phoenixsun complains about having no inspiration for this chapter for months and then I suddenly get a call saying that it's done!

**Lee –** He has been complaining a lot that Sakon and pre-time skip Shikamaru are boring to write, but he did that every time he tried writing this chapter before.

**Itachi –** Well, it seems that he recently started looking up stuff about Road to Ninja, and that got it him motivated.

**Kisame –** Heh… He's one weird dude.

**Lee –** But, Kisame-san, you are…

**Itachi –** No, Lee, that one is too easy, let it go…Instead introduce the chapter.

**Lee **– Yosh! Itachi-san! Here is PHD's chapter 26!

* * *

_**As a Leader**_

Sakon cursed under his breath. The mission that Orochimaru had assigned to them with the outmost importance had completely gone off rails. Kidomaru had pretty much asked for this outcome, and now that he was taken out, Sakon had to deal with this mess himself. Seeing the blond separate from the group, the pale teen decided that it was now time to act.

Out of all the Konoha shinobi that had interfered, the spiky aired one was the one that Sakon had been the most worried about, and now this was his chance to take the younger boy out as he was distracted.

The remaining Sound nin jumped off his branch to the ground and dashed after his target, a kunai already in hand. However, Sakon only managed a couple of steps before his body came to a complete halt. "What the hell is going on?" He asked as he looked around.

"I'm not letting you attack him from behind…" A serious voice caused Sakon to turn and look behind. There stood the only Leaf nin from the group wearing a chunin jacket, the Sound shinobi could see that their shadows were connected.

"You're a Nara…" The Oto nin commented offhandedly. Suddenly, the blue haired teen realized that one of his hands was shaking. _"What the hell is this…?"_ He pondered. _"I'm not afraid of this guy…"_ He thought as he glanced at the Konoha shinobi.

Shikamaru's fist was shaking out of sheer anger and the same action was being forced on Sakon through the chunin's Kagemane technique. "I will be your opponent." The Nara stated as his eyes narrowed menacingly.

Sakon gritted his teeth in frustration. "Back off kid! I've had just about enough of you and your little friends…" He warned as he glared at the Leaf nin.

"Really?" Shikamaru responded. "Because I've been sick and tired of your little group for a long while now." The brunette stated in a firm voice.

A scoff escaped the Oto nin. "I have studied your stupid village and I know that Nara do not specialize in direct combat." The blue haired teen pointed out. "You are more suitable for stalling… Just one big clan full of hindrances." He taunted, trying to get a rise out the chunin so that he would break his concentration, allowing Sakon to free himself from the Kagemane jutsu.

Shikamaru for his part simply shrugged off the comment with a smirk. "You let me worry about that… But first…" The young man said as he raised one of his fists, forcing the Sound nin to do the same. Suddenly, the Konoha shinobi drove his fist right towards his face with tremendous force. "There…" Shikamaru said with the smirk still in place as he watched Sakon recoil back from his own self-inflicted attack. "If I didn't punch you in the face soon I wouldn't be able to think clearly."

"Damn you…!" The humiliated Sakon growled at his opponent as a trickled of blood ran down the side of his mouth.

Smirking a little wider, the Leaf nin charged.

The Kagemane technique forced Sakon to do the same. The young man tried to fight off the control of the jutsu but to not avail.

As the two shinobi got closer, Shikamaru made a thrusting motion with his left hand, causing the blue haired teen to send the kunai he had been carrying flying forward, but with very little strength.

The Nara kept his arm extended as he compelled his opponent to move towards him, grabbing onto the traveling kunai as it flew close to him.

At the very last moment when the two ninjas were about to collide with each other, Shikamaru ended his shadow jutsu and swiftly spun his body around the Oto nin, getting a clear shot to drive the kunai right into Sakon's spine. "Gotcha…" The chunin said as he directed the blade to its target.

Suddenly, a pair or arms shot out of Sakon's back and stopped the kunai just before its tip could puncture the blue haired teen's back.

"What…?" It was all that Shikamaru could let out before the hands holding his arm threw him across the field with surprising force. The brunette's flight continued until his back hit a tree and his body fell to the dirt. Trying to recompose himself, the young man glanced at his opponent. The sight that greeted him caused his eyes to widen in a mixture of shock and horror.

A second, identical body was sprouting out of Sakon's back.

"Well, well, my dear Sakon… It seems that you have some problems dealing with the trash." The second body said as it twisted around and to look at the Leaf nin.

A low grow escaped the main body. "I had everything under control, Ukon…" He said as he glanced at the perfect replica of his face that peered over his shoulder.

"Not from where I was standing, little brother, which is right where you are." Ukon said in a mocking tone as he patted the main body on the head. "If you had listened to me from the beginning, we would have been done with this mission… But no, instead you end up getting capture by a Nara's technique." The _older brother_ complained.

"He got lucky… That's all…" Sakon muttered in a strained voice. "He won't do it again."

A smirk appeared in Ukon's face. "Yeah… And _I_ will make sure of that." He said before his expression suddenly turned serious. "We cannot fail this mission… Orochimaru-sama does not tolerate failure." He added.

The younger brother nodded. "You're right… Let's finish this…" He declared as a black, spotty pattern spread throughout his and his brother body.

As Shikamaru got back on his feet, his eyes were glued on the figure in front of him as it split into two separate, but completely identical forms. The Konoha nin had not finished processing what he was seeing when the two Sound shinobi charged forward.

The young chunin was unable to fend off the attacks from two fronts. The moment he block Sakon, his brother would attack him from his blindside, and vice versa. It seemed that the Oto siblings had in fact studied up on the Nara clan, since the pair spent most of their time jumping around the brunette, which made it impossible for the Leaf nin to capture even one of them in his Kagemane jutsu again.

The assaults continued for a while as the Nara was punched around by the brothers, until finally Sakon delivered a powerful kick to young man's stomach, sending the chunin flying into a tree which so much force that the tree snapped in two as Shikamaru's body flew through it. Lying on the ground, the brunette weakly glanced up at the smirking pair approaching him.

* * *

"Argh…!" Ino groaned as she let her tired body fall down onto the grass. "Tell me, Hinata, is everyone in your cousin's team this damn hyperactive?" The blond asked as she glanced at the blue haired girl sitting next to her.

A small giggle escaped the Hyuuga before answering. "No, Neji-niisan is pretty calm… He can be quite intense at time, but he is mostly calm." The kunoichi answered. "Though he also complains from time to time about the same thing you did." She added with another short, little laugh.

For her part, the Yamanaka merely sighed and turned to look at the source of her frustration. After what seemed to be hours of arguing, Ino had caved and gone along with Tenten's ridiculous plan for a _girls' only_ intensive training session. The older kunoichi was now making short work of Sakura after having beaten both her and Hinata. The Yamanaka hated to admit it, but the weapon mistress was far more skilled than her and her two former classmates combined. "I prefer teammates that are a bit more relaxed…" The blond languidly commented.

"Like Shikamaru-kun?" The Byakugan users asked in curiosity.

Suddenly, a rather strong blush appeared on Ino's face. "Wha… Wha… What?! Shikamaru…?! No! Nothing like Shikamaru!" The young woman stalwartly insisted. "That guy is too extreme when it comes to being laid back!" She hurriedly commented. "It's _troublesome_ to have someone so lazy as a teammate."

Hinata gave her friend a concern look. "Really? Is it truly that bad?" She asked.

Having taken a moment to calm down, the Yamanaka composed herself. "Well… It's not all bad." She admitted. "Despite everything, Shikamaru does have a few good points… No… Nothing like Sasuke-kun of course! But still…" She added.

The worried look in the blue haired girl's eyes vanished and was replaced by one of interest again. "Like what?" She urged her former classmate to continue.

"Well… He's super smart for starters…" Ino pointed out. "I mean, sometimes Asuma-sensei would have us do a mock-fights and I think Shikamaru is out and that it's just between me and Chouji, but then Shika comes back with some strange strategy and I realize that he had been planning it from this start… With Chouji and I walking right into it."

Another giggle escaped Hinata. "Shino-kun likes to do things similar to that as well… And it usually ends with Kiba-kun getting angry and leaving training early."

The two kunoichi had a small laugh at the expense of their hooded friend.

"But there is another thing about Shikamaru…" Ino suddenly started again. "For someone who likes to laze around as much as him… When he gets serious about something, he _really_ gets serious about it." She said, receiving a confused look from the other girl before continuing. "He takes the responsibilities laid on him to heart and he's more than willing to let himself get burned if it means carrying them out.

A soft breeze passed through training field just as Tenten was apologizing to Sakura for having used too much force in her last attack.

The blond smiled at the scene before looking down at her feet. "So I think that maybe… The reason why Shikamaru tries to evade responsibility so much is because he cannot allow himself to let down those who might depend on him." Ino's smile widened as she looked at Hinata. "I don't really hate that about him."

* * *

Shikamaru forced his body off the ground as the Sound twins continued to approach.

"Well, I have to say… You suck as a team leader." Ukon commented as he wiped some of the Leaf nin's blood from his knuckles. "Most of your team is down and your little mission is about to go up in flames." He added with a self-satisfied smirk.

The Nara had to use a nearby tree for support to stay upright. "What about your teammates….?" The brunette questioned. "They are out as well."

Laughter erupted on the scene. "Those idiots that got themselves killed? Who cares about them?!" Sakon boasted gleefully.

"All that matter is that the two of us fulfill this mission for Orochimaru-sama." The older brother informed.

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed at the twins words. "Aren't you supposed to be the leader of your team…?" The chunin asked with his eyes directed at Sakon.

For his part, the younger Oto nin simply shrugged his shoulders. "That's why I only have to think about the success of this mission." He responded. "If Kidomaru and the others are stupid or weak enough to get themselves killed, then it's all on them. I'm not here to babysit anyone." The blue haired young man said with complete disregard for his fallen teammates.

It started out slow, but Shikamaru's laughter grew stronger and stronger until it was echoing among the trees. "It looks like this guy finally snapped…" Ukon commented as he eyed the Konoha shinobi curiously.

Still in a fit of laughter, the Nara shook his head at his opponent's remark. "No… Nothing like that…" He responded. "It's just that… Here I was thinking how much I had messed up on this mission… But now I know that, no matter how bad things had turned out, I'm nowhere near as pathetic as this guy over here." The chunin said while signaling at Sakon.

The twins growled at the brunette's comment, which earned another chuckle out of the Leaf nin.

"Yeah, it's true that the team leader is ultimately responsible for making sure the mission successfully is carried out… But that's only part of the deal." Any mirth disappeared from Shikamaru's voice. "The leader is also responsible for the lives of the teammates he is in charge of… And if those lives are lost, the he is not suppose to simply shrug that off." His fist closed tightly. "He has to remember them… Let those loses weigh on his soul… Because those are his true failures."

A snort escaped Sakon. "That's a quick way to get yourself overwhelmed and your judgment clouded."

Shikamaru gave the blue haired teen a hardened look. "It's not about mindsets, but about growth." He declared. "Neji's Byakugan has a blind-spot on the back and his techniques require a lot of energy, this creates a problem in drawn out battle… Kiba on the other hand fights with completely disregard of his own body, which mean he should not fight by himself against a long-range opponent." The Leaf nin said as if he was reciting it out a report. "I will never forget that… Even if it's too late to do anything for them, I would never forget that if I had taken this information under consideration, I could have prevented this."

The Sound twins narrowed their eyes.

"I am Nara Shikamaru, chunin of the Village Hidden in the Leaf and leader of this team." The young man announced as he brought his hands together. "My own failures cost two of my teammates dearly… So now the least I can do for them is make sure I beat the living hell out of you!" He declared before his shadow suddenly shot towards the two Sound ninjas.

Sakon and Ukon reacted immediately, jumping away from the incoming shadow, making sure it stayed away from theirs. "You talk really big for someone who is about to be finished off!" The older brother exclaimed as the two charged forward.

A smirk formed in Shikamaru's lips. "Did it ever occur to you that I might have been guiding the course of this fight up until now?" He asked in a amuse tone.

By the time, the Leaf nin's words registered in the brothers' ears it was too late. Branches from the trees all around them suddenly sprung to life and wrapped themselves around the Oto ninjas' body, completely restricting them. "What…?! What the hell is this?!" Sakon asked alarmed.

The Nara's smirk widened. "Well… You studied Konoha… You tell me." The brunette mocked.

"No… It can't be! You cannot possibly be a Mokuton user!" Ukon shouted as he struggled against the branches' hold on his body.

For a responds, the Konoha shinobi simply close his fist, which caused branches to wrap tightly around the twins' necks.

Sakon gasped for air. "Im… Impossible…! Only the First Hokage could do this!" He struggled to let out.

Shikamaru simply shrugged his shoulder. "He had to learn it from somewhere… I simply figure out his secret."

The twins continued to fight a losing battle against the branches. "Damn… You…" Ukon growled.

"I don't care about the Wood Release…" Sakon glared at the chunin. "I'm going to kill you!" He declared as the spatter marks on his body started to burn and spread throughout the rest of his body.

Seeing this, Ukon followed his younger brother's lead and activated the second level of his curse seal.

As the transformation finished, the branches that held the twins seemingly exploded into tiny little splinters. Now, two goblins, half of their body covered in some sort of armor, stood in front of the young Leaf nin in perfect symmetry glaring at him with murderous intent.

Despite everything, Shikamaru held their ground. "Do you think that little show is enough to take on what's considered to be one of the most powerful abilities in the shinobi world?" The chunin asked.

Instead of answering, the monstrous brothers charged forward with tremendous speed.

For his part, the Nara brought his hand together and immediately a new set of thicker branches sprung towards the Sound nins.

Sakon and Ukon clawed at the waves of branches that came at them. However, no matter how much they destroyed, more branches moved in to attack them. Eventually, the two had to jump back. "This isn't working…" The older twin pointed out.

"Then let's focus on one point and force our way through." The other teen suggest, receiving a nod of approval from his brother.

Shikamaru was a little taken back when he witnessed how the lower side of Ukon's body merged again with Sakon. From the brunette's perspective, it looked like the grossest piggyback ride in the entire world. "Tarenken!" The chunin had no time to process when the image when the grotesque monster shot forward with renew ferocity.

The branches move in to meet the Oto nins, but this time, the two pairs of hands were able to start gaining ground.

Pretty soon, the brothers had punched their way through the foliage and were standing right in front of Leaf shinobi, forcing the Nara to jump back to a safe distance.

The fight continued like that for a while, Shikamaru would get a few hits in with the tree branches, but for the most part the two headed shinobi kept gaining ground and making the brunette retreat more and more. "Wait!" Ukon suddenly called out from over Sakon's head. "Heheh…. You shrew, shrew bastard…" He commented eyeing maliciously at his opponent who narrowed his eyes and tightened his fists.

"What are you on about?" The younger twin questioned.

"I've been observing this piece of trash for some time now." The transformed teen revealed. "Did you notice that his little _Mokuton_ completely stops every time he jumps away from us?" He asked as a smile formed in his face. "It's not Wood Release at all… He someone connected his shadow with the trees' and used those Nara clan jutsu to control them!" Ukon revealed in glee.

The Konoha nin swore under his breath. "I called it Konoshitayami no Jutsu." The chunin said, trying to maintain a confident look. "It combines the Nara clan's techniques with Earth and Water chakra to create a very believable faux-Wood Release." He revealed.

A short laugh escaped Sakon. "That was pretty ingenious of you…" The young man admitted. "Just for that, I'll kill you a bit quicker." He announced before charging with full strength.

Shikamaru did not bothered with branches anymore and instead opted to simply jump away from his opponents.

"Not so fast!" Ukon called out as he preformed hand seals. "Doryuheki!" The transformed teen shouted.

Suddenly, a large stone walk rose right behind the Nara, blocking the brunettes retreat as he hit it with his back in midair.

The Leaf ninja only had time to give a quick glance at the obstacle that had stopped him and then back to his opponent before he was met by a flurry of fists and kicks.

By the time the chunin's body hit the ground, he was already reduced to a bruised and bloodied mess.

"Now die!" The monstrous twins called out in unison as their fists travel down towards their wounded opponent with the intension of crushing his skull.

The sound of chirping birds suddenly filled the forest and the next thing Sakon knew was a sharp, searing pain running from his shoulder to his spine before his part of his arm was sent flying away from the rest of his body.

Shikamaru looked wide-eye as Sasuke had suddenly jumped in and swung a Chidori-covered hand between him and the Oto nin's fist, cutting the latter clean off.

"Gyaarg!" Sakon screamed as he held what was left of his arm with his remaining hand. "You bastard!" He cursed.

The Uchiha stood between the Nara and the Oto ninjas with his Raiton technique died out in his hand. "Despite everything… I'm still a Leaf nin… And I'm not going to let you hurt my friends…" The raven haired boy said between breath, still panting from his own bout against the Sound Four.

Growling, the brothers glared at the Sharingan user. "It's only because Orochimaru-sama wants your damn body that we don't kill you on the spot…!" Ukon declared.

Instead of replaying, the genin simply smirked at his opponent's remarks.

Sensing danger, Ukon glanced upward. "Look out!" He shouted, separating from his twin as the two brothers jumped to opposite directions. The next second, the place where they ahd been standing was blown up by arrival of a Rasengan-wielding Naruto.

The dust eventually settled revealing an angry looking blond. "We'll take care of things from here, Shikamaru." The Uzumaki announced as Sasuke walked towards him. The two members of Team Seven turned to look at a twin each.

Shikamaru watched his former classmates trade blows with the transformed brothers. The Nara had no problem admitting that their taijutsu was vastly superior to his as little by little Naruto and Sasuke were gaining the upper-hand. Still however, there was no telling when the fight would end. The battle could go for a long while, but the Nara knew that it needed to end soon.

The Sound nins realized how they were losing ground and tried to put some space between themselves and the two genins.

"Rasengan!"

"Chidori!"

Not relenting on their assault, Naruto and Sasuke charged as they readied their attacks in their hands.

The twins immediately bite down on their thumb and slammed their hands on the ground. "Kuchiyose: Rashomon!" They both called out before large, demonic-looking wall rose between them and their opponents.

A large dent appeared in the giant gate as the two techniques hit it.

"Hah! How do you like Orochimaru-sama's ultimate defense?!" Sakon questioned.

"Try as much as you want, nothing you can dish out can destroy it!" Ukon challenged in glee.

"Really…? Nothing can destroy it…?" Shikamaru repeated as he sat up, causing the Sound brothers to turn their head to look at him. "Thanks…" He added before making a hand seal.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them turned pitch black. The brother immediately panicked, but they soon realized that their movements had not been bound.

A short laugh escaped Shikamaru. "Kagetouei no Jutsu…" The brunette weakly informed. "It makes sure that you see only what I want you to see." He added as the shadow over the ground started to retreat back to the chunin. "I have to say… For a while there I thought all of this would be for nothing… Until you put up that wall… Now I can use it without worrying about hurting my friends."

Sakon narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking abo…?" The transformed teen started to say, but stop as his eyes registered the state of the ground there standing on. "What the hell is this?!"

The forest floor was completely littered with explosive tags that had been hidden by the brunette's techinque.

"When…? When did you…?" Ukon stuttered his words as he looked around in panic.

The Nara simply smirked. "From the start… I've been stringing you along since the battle began." Shikamaru said as his shadow finished retracting. "Didn't I tell you already…?" He asked before throwing one more to the ground which triggering all of the other explosive tags. A powerful and colossal explosion detonated, consuming the three of them.

On the other side of the wall, Naruto felt the explosion go off as demonic structure protected him and Sasuke from the blast and flames. "What the hell happened?!" The blond questioned. Moments later, the Rashomon Gate sunk back into the ground and allowed the two members of Team Seven to see the blast zone. "Shikamaru!" The spiky haired teen shouted before dashing towards his friends burned form.

"Na... Naruto…" The brunette managed to say through cough as his teammate approached.

The blond knelt beside the chunin. "What the hell were you thinking?" The Sharingan user asked with concern.

Shikamaru gave the genin a cheeky smile before starting on another fit of cough. "Get… Get back to the village right away…" He managed to get out. "Kiba and Neji need help…" The brunette added weakly before losing consciousness.

The Uzumaki tightened his fists. "You idiot… You need help just as much as they do…" He said. Suddenly, another set of coughs got the blonde's attention. Turning around, Naruto saw one of the Oto twins moving, back in his human form.

"You… You bastard… You killed him…" Ukon muttered as he lamented his clutched his brother's body.

A furious growled came from the blond as he glared at the last remaining Sound nin. Shaking in anger, Naruto stood up with every intention to put a definite end to this battle.

However, the moment the young man took a step forward, an incredibly potent and suffocation killer intent spread throughout the forest.

"What is this…?!" Sasuke ask as he looked around for the origin of the incredibly dark aura.

Naruto search for source as well. _"This killer intent… It's stronger than Zabuza's… And even Gaara's…"_ He thought. _"The only one that could compare was that Kisame guy…"_

For his part, the grieving Ukon started to shake in fear.

As he continued his search, Sasuke's eyes suddenly widened. "Naruto! Watch out!" He screamed, but all the Uchiha could do was stand and watch as his friend turned around right before he was ambushed by a purple blur. The next thing the raven haired teen knew, his teammate stood several feet away impaled to a tree by what appeared to be two white stakes, one in the chest and another in his leg. Looking at where Naruto had been standing moments ago, Sasuke could now see a pale young man dressed in loose purple clothing with a skinny body that donned the unmistakable marks of a curse seal.

"Are you Uchiha Sasuke…?" Kimimaro inquired with a cold voice as he let the large barrel he was carrying drop to the ground and took a step towards the raven haired boy.

Before the Sharingan user could react, the newcomer appeared in front of him, graving him by the neck and picking him up with ease. "Well… Are you…?" He asked.

* * *

Kagemane – Shadow Imitation

Tarenken – Multi-Connected Fists

Doryuheki – Earth Style Wall

Konoshitayami no Jutsu – Dark of the Forest Technique (Made up)

Kagetouei no Jutsu – Shadow Projection Technique (Made up)

Kuchiyose: Rashomon – Summoning: Rashomon

* * *

**Kisame – **Ok… It was funny at first, but now so many people are biting the big one, this is starting to look like the last Harry Potter book!

**Itachi –** You read the Harry Potter series?

**Kisame –** No! No! I… I meant the last few episodes of your average Gundam series…

**Itachi –** Sure you did…

**Lee –** My favorites are the fourth and fifth books!

**Itachi – **Anyways, the reason why this chapter was so delayed was not only because of lack of motivation.

**Kisame – **Yeah, he's been very preoccupied… I can't make even make a joke about it.

**Lee** –Hopefully, next time in won't take as much when we comeback for PHD's chapter 27: Savage Beasts Collide!


	27. Savage Beasts Collide

**Kisame – **Holy hell! How could have been a sleep for a whole year?!

**Itachi –** What are you on about?

**Kisame –** The calendar! It says I've been a sleep for 12 months!

**Lee –** Uhmm… It has barely been over a week, Kisame-san…

**Kisame –** Yeah right… As if Phoenixsun would update this story that soon again. It's far more likely that I slept for an entire year… I can believe this is happening…! All the things I had planned for this past year…!

**Itachi –** Sigh… Anyways, this chapter goes out to the people that review the last one.

**Lee –** Your reviews greatly help Phoneixsun's motivation to continuing this story and he would like to thank you for it.

**Itachi –** So we hope you enjoy PHD's chapter 27…

* * *

_**Savage Beasts Collide**_

"What is this…?!" Sasuke ask as he looked around for the origin of the incredibly dark aura.

Naruto search for source as well. _"This killer intent… It's stronger than Zabuza's… And even Gaara's…"_ He thought. _"The only one that could compare was that Kisame guy…"_

For his part, the grieving Ukon started to shake in fear.

As he continued his search, Sasuke's eyes suddenly widened. "Naruto! Watch out!" He screamed, but all the Uchiha could do was stand and watch as his friend turned around right before he was ambushed by a purple blur. The next thing the raven haired teen knew, his teammate stood several feet away impaled to a tree by what appeared to be two white stakes, one in the chest and another in his leg. Looking at where Naruto had been standing moments ago, Sasuke could now see a pale young man dressed in loose purple clothing with a skinny body that donned the unmistakable marks of a curse seal.

"Are you Uchiha Sasuke…?" Kimimaro inquired with a cold voice as he let the large barrel he was carrying drop to the ground and took a step towards the raven haired boy.

Before the Sharingan user could react, the newcomer appeared in front of him, graving him by the neck and picking him up with ease. "Well… Are you…?" He asked.

Struggling against the hold on his neck and the suffocating killer intent, the raven haired teen was able to glare at his captor.

The pale man took a second to regard the younger ninja's Sharingan eyes. "So you are…" Kimimaro commented before tightening his grip.

"Argh!" The Uchiha gasped as the fingers around his neck pressed down.

Casually, the newcomer reached into his disheveled robe and took out a small jar with dark, purple pills inside of it. "Is… Is that the Seishingan…?" Ukon asked timidly as he pressed his back against the trunk of a tree. The blue haired teen's body language indicated that he did not know whether to run away or stay.

"This is a new variant that Kabuto-san created." Kimimaro answered in a monotone as he forced one of the pills down the Sharingan-users throat. "Orochimaru-sama can wait no longer… This new pill will greatly accelerate the process to prepare the Uchiha's body." The older shinobi added.

Sasuke struggled, but try as he might, he was unable to spit the tablet out due to his current predicament.

The effects of the pill were almost immediate. A dark aura suddenly enveloped the Uchiha as the young man screamed in pain. "That… That's not supposed to happen…" A startled Ukon commented.

Ignoring the other Sound nin, Kimimaro simply turned around and started to walk back towards the large barrel, his hold on the genin never loosing. "Open the coffin, now." He commanded in a strong voice.

Ukon jolted in surprise, but hurriedly scrambled to comply, lifting the lid off the barrel. Kimimaro unceremoniously threw Sasuke writhing body into the coffin before making a hand seal. An ominous black fog gathered over their heads for a brief moment before it suddenly fell into the barrel along with the Leaf nin. Warily, Ukon placed the lid back and immediately stepped back. _"Incredible… It would have taken all of us in the Sound Four to pull off the Black Fog, but he did it by himself…"_ The blue haired teen thought as he watched the pale man seal the coffin. _"No wonder he was the one Orochimaru-sama had chosen…_"

Suddenly, Kimimaro jumped away from the barrel and Ukon. The next second, the place where the older shinobi had been standing burst into black flames. "What the hell have you done to Sasuke…?! You bastards!" Naruto demanded to know as he walked towards the two Sound ninjas, despite his accelerated healing, blood was still running from his wounds. Setting sights on the sealed confine, the blond charged towards it ready to set his teammate free.

Unfortunately, the Jinchuuriki was intercepted by the newcomer, who delivered a powerful kick to the genin's midsection at lightning speed that send the spiky haired teen flying right through a tree.

"I cannot allow you to destroy the coffin." Kimimaro commented. "Doing so will kill Uchiha Sasuke and interfere with Orochimaru-sama's plans." He added.

The Uzumaki got back to his feet right away, angry at the pale man for kicking him and at himself for almost killing his friend. "Then I guess I will have to take care of you two first…" The genin commented as his Sora Sharingan stared at both Oto shinobi down.

Unbothered by the Konoha nin's words, Kimimaro calmly took a few steps forwards, setting himself between the blond and the coffin. "Ukon, take the Uchiha to Orochimaru-sama." He ordered. "Make sure to get there on time." The older teen added, spiking his killer intent to accentuate his command.

Visibly affected by the malevolent aura emanating from his comrade, Ukon needed a second to compose himself before nodding and grabbing the barrel, strapping it to his back.

"Not you won't!" Naruto declare before dashing towards the blue haired teen. Unfortunately, the Uzumaki was once again interacted by Kimimaro, who tackled him again, ramming his body through several trees. The spiky haired boy gasped in pain as he realized that more white stakes have impaled his chest. Looking up, the genin was surprise when he saw several bones sticking out of his opponent's body.

The Oto nin did not seem to be any pain despite his own body's condition. "Does it surprise you?" The grey haired teen asked. "This is Shikotsumyaku… My extinct clan's bloodline limit." The Kaguya explained, referring to the bones sticking out.

The Sharingan user merely glared. "I don't care about you… Move out of my way." He commanded as he got back on his feet.

Kimimaro remained unfazed. "I will not." The young man answered simply. "I am here to fulfill Orochimaru-sama's wish… And right now, you are a threat." He stated before suddenly launching himself forward. "Yanagi no Mai."

As the Sound shinobi closed in on the blonde, he thrust his palm forward, a sharp bone coming out of it to stab his opponent on the shoulder. Naruto was able to move out of the strike's way, prompting Kimimaro to swing his outstretched arm in pursuit.

For a brief moment, Naruto considered blocking his opponent's arm to gain an opening, but fortunately his Sharingan eyes caught another bone emerging from the older teen's shoulder. Instead, the spiky haired boy jumped back out of the attack's reach.

However, having predicted the Leaf nin's action, Kimimaro took advantage of the split-second opening the jump gave him to deliver a powerful kick to the younger boy's stomach sending him flying back.

Naruto's back hit a tree with a thunderous impact, causing him to flinch in pain. "Amaterasu!" The genin exclaimed as he quickly opened his eyes.

Kimimaro jumped back right before the black flames appeared.

"_Damn it…! I need to beat this guy quickly…!"_ Naruto raged in his mind. _"I have to catch up with the one that took Sasuke!"_ He thought as he continued sending the Amaterasu flames at the grey haired teen who was graciously dodging all of them as if he were dancing. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto called out after a quickly hand seal.

Immediately, ten blondes appeared around the Oto nin, closing in on their target. "Karamatsu no Mai." Kimimaro muttered, crouching down slightly as the clones swarm him. The next second, all of the shadow clones disappeared in clouds of smoke, revealing the Kaguya with his body covered by sharp, protruding bones.

The gray haired teen looked up to find the blond right in front of him with most of his right arm covered in fire. "Houyoku!" Naruto called out as he thrust his fire jutsu forward.

The Sound nin did not even bothered to dodge.

Blue Sharingan eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of his attack being stop by the bones in the pale teen's ribcage that had suddenly emerged and impaled in his arm. "Tsubaki no Mai." Kimimaro said as he looked down on the younger shinobi. Reaching for his shoulder, the Sound nin pulled a short sword and used to stab the trapped blond in the left shoulder.

The power of the strike was so strong, that Naruto was set flying back onto a tree once more. The Uzumaki panted as he gripped his bleeding shoulder. "Damn you…:" He growled.

Still, the Kaguya remain unnerved by his opponent's killer intent. "From what I sensed as I was coming here, I expected you to be a greater challenge." The pale man informed. "But your mind is so focus on rescuing Uchiha Sasuke that you have yet to realize that you are going to die by my hands."

Naruto's fist tightened. "Shut up…" He demanded.

"I understand you… I know what it feels that to have this one thing that you devote yourself to the point that nothing else matters." The Sound nin admitted. "You want to save your teammate and I want to fulfill my masters' wish." He added. "However, there is a difference between you and me… I have nothing left to lose." Kimimaro said before extending his arm away from the blond.

By the time the spiky haired teen's eyes widened in realization, five projectiles had already shot out of the Kaguya's fingertips and were flying straight towards where Neji and Kiba lied unprotected.

Acting out of instinct, Naruto launched himself toward his fallen teammates. _"I'm not going to make it in time…!"_ He thought with dread. As he rushed to try and stop the white bullets, the blond error dawned upon him.

With his opponent havening exposed himself completely defenseless, Kimimaro directed his other hand towards him and released another barrage of the bone projectiles.

Naruto realized that he had no chance to dodge the small missiles if he wanted to even hope to help his friend, all at the genin could do was brace himself for the, more than likely, painful impact and hope that he would still be able to still make it in time.

However, the Oto nin's attacks never made contact. Two large barriers of sand had formed in front of him and his teammates, blocking the white bullets.

"What a shameful behavior… Uzumaki Naruto…" A strong voice echoed throughout the forest as the sand gathered up and started whirling in place.

* * *

"Ok Hinata-chan, this time put more force on your spin, ok?" Tenten instructed as she prepared another set of kunai.

The younger kunoichi gave her friend a worried look. "Are… Are you sure?" Hinata asked; her voice full of her doubts about the situation.

"Geez… I told you that yes I am sure… This is the best way for you to learn the Kaiten." The brown haired girl declared.

The Byakugan user bit her bottom lip. "But…" The blue haired girl was cut off when three kunai were shot her way. Having no other choice, Hinata started to spin on her heel, pumping chakra out of every part of her body as she did so. Taking the advice, she pushed on harder as the blades approached.

Two of the kunai bounced harmless off the sphere formed by Hinata's movements, however the third one somehow latched on to the young woman's chakra for a brief moment before it was sent flying to the side in the direction where Sakura and Ino were resting.

"Look out!" Tenten shouted as her kunai cut through the hair on a warpath towards the pink haired girl whose eyes widened in shock at the incoming projectile.

Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind swept through the training field, veering the small blade away from Sakura, and making it fall somewhere among the trees.

Tenten let out a sigh of relief at her friend being unharmed, but still look around the field confused. "Where did that strong wind came from…? It's almost as if…" The weapon mistress stop mid sentence as she caught sight of familiar person approaching. Her hold on her weapons tightened. "You!" She shouted.

Sakura and the other two kunoichi turned to where the older girl was glaring at and gasped.

Temari from the Hidden Sand walked casually towards them as she closed her fan.

"What are you doing here?!" Ino asked as she took a defensive stance.

The blond girl took a moment to glare at the group of tense kunoichi in front of her before her expression softened. "Relax… I have not come here to pick a fight." She revealed, however here words went heeded as four girl refused to lower their guards. "My brothers and I were sent back to the Leaf as a peace envoy… Here." Temari added as she threw her fan far away from her reach and raised her hand as a show that she meant no harm.

The younger kunoichi relaxed a bit, but Tenten remained in full alert. "What do you want with us?" She asked narrowing her eyes.

Looking at the brown haired girl, Temari shook her head in disbelieve. "I asked the Hokage point me where you were because… Because…" Shocking everyone, the older girl suddenly bowed down. "I wanted to personally apologize for the Sand's attack on this village and for the part my brothers and I took in it." She said unreservedly before raising her head. "My brothers wanted to come too, but Kankuro had to stay behind to deal paperwork related to our mission and Gaara already went ahead to the others." The blond informed.

Sakura gave older girl a confused look. "Ahead to the others…?" She repeated. "What do you mean?" The Haruno asked.

"To meet with your teammates." Temari revealed. "The Hokage informed us that they were in a very important mission… Gaara rushed out immediately to back them up."

* * *

A figure started to form in the middle of the whirling sand. Naruto was taken back as Gaara appeared in the middle of the forest, arms crossed, and pale blue eyes looking straight at Kimimaro.

"What are you doing here…?" The spiky haired boy asked, not sure of what to make of the newcomer's presence.

The redhead did not even bother to look at the other Jinchuuriki as he answered. "I could ask you the same thing." He said. "Your Hokage told me that you were out here trying to save a friend… But instead I find you failing at it." The Sand genin said, holding nothing back.

The blond flinched for a second at those words. "You don't know what you're talking about…" He tried to rebuke.

"Heh…" A short laugh escaped Gaara, surprising the hell out of the Uzumaki. "Yeah, maybe I do not… I am still new at this _protecting others_ business." The sand users admitted. "But what I do know is that if you continue fighting this person in your current state, you will die." Pale blue eyes narrowed. "And I cannot allow that to happen."

Naruto gave the Suna shinobi a look. "What are you saying?"

As if to answer the question, the sand from the redhead gourd came out and hover around its master. "I will take care of this guy while you go ahead and rescue Sasuke." He indicated.

"But what about the others?" The blond questioned as his eyes shifted from Neji and Kiba to Shikamaru.

"I will keep them safe." Gaara assured with confidence. "Now, go!" He commanded.

The Sharingan user hesitated for a second, but then nodded before dashing off.

Kimimaro immediately reacted. "I cannot allow that." The grey haired teen said as he moved to intersect the spiky haired boy, his sword still in hand and ready to strike.

"Sabaku Ame!" Gaara called as he extended one of his hands, immediately a barrage shot out of one of the sand clumps floating in mid air.

Out of sheer instinct, the Kaguya jumped out of the sand projectiles way, giving the Uzumaki enough time to get away safely. Kimimaro watched the blonde's back disappeared from his view.

"You berated Naruto from not being focus on the fight and now you are committing the same mistaken." The redhead's words reached the Oto nin's ear. Turning around, the grey haired teen barely had enough time to jump out of the way a large stream of sand flew pass where he was standing.

Despite having missed its apparent target, the sand continue going until it reached Shikamaru's unconscious body, picking it up and taking it to where his teammates lied.

The large gourd on Gaara's back dissolved into sand, moving toward the three fallen ninjas and enveloping them in a large sand sphere for protection.

"How will you fight me if you are using the sand to protect them?" Kimimaro inquired as he glared at the Jinchuuriki.

In response, Gaara unfolded his arms and narrowed his eyes. "I have something more… Feral stored for you." He said as the dark lines around his eyes suddenly became more pronounce.

The Sound shinobi watched as his opponent bore his fanged teeth at him and an orange chakra started to cover his body.

The chakra coat around the genin's body seemed to be boiling as it took an animal-like shape. Gaara's eyes were replaced by Shukaku's black and yellow once as he crouched down and his hands turned into claws. A large tail made up of the same boiling chakra swung behind the young man.

"I see…" Kimimaro said in an unperturbed voice. "You are the type of guy who does not hold back… Very well…" The pale teen let his robe fall off his shoulders and hang around his waist. The rip-like pattern on his body started to burn and spread, giving his skin a dark tone as a large set of bones sprouted from his back. "Let's go…"

The two transformed shinobi charged at each other at blinding speed, both readying their fists. The clash between the two young men was so strong it sent a shockwave throughout the forest.

The backlash of their collision pushed the two teens back. Gaara wasted no time to thrust one of his arms forward. Immediately, the bubbling chakra arm extended, flying straight at the Oto nin and destroying every branch on its path.

Kimimaro jumped out of the way. "Tessanka no Mai: Tsuru!" The Kaguya roared as he pulled out his own spine and used as a whip to strike the Jinchuuriki.

Mimicking his opponent, Gaara jumped to dodge the sweeping strike.

Dozens of threes were cut it half as the bone whip swept through the forest.

Taking advantage that his opponent was in mid air, Kimimaro raised his free hand and sent out a barrage of razor sharp bones.

The Jinchuuriki saw the projectiles coming. Taking in a deep breath Gaara let out a powerful roar that not only blew the bones away, but caught the Sound ninja by surprise as it push him back down to the ground with tremendous force.

Before the Kaguya could recover, the Suna genin landed back on a tree and sent another chakra arm at his enemy.

The transformed teen managed to dodge the incoming attack, but failed to see the chakra hand grabbing on a tree behind him.

Using the extended hold as a slingshot to quickly shorten the distance between them, the redhead delivered a powerful punch on the Sound nin, sending him flying far back, going through tees and rocks like they were nothing.

By the time Kimimaro regained his composure and stood up, the Sand nin was already in front of him ready to strike again.

"Tessanka no Mai: Hana!" The gray haired teen quickly called out before large bones came twisting out of his left arm, forming a large drill shape structure. The Kaguya brought his left arm up, using the large bone cone as a shield to block the Jinchuuriki's fist. Kimimaro took the chance and wrapped the whip around the redhead's ankle.

With his hold on his enemy, the sound nin immediately flailed the redhead's body, trying the slam him onto the ground.

However, just as Gaara's body was coming down, the chakra limps extended downwards, slowing him down and letting him land safely.

Not wasting any time, Kimimaro took a page out his opponent's book and propelled himself at the Suna genin with his whip.

Despite his enhanced senses, the Jinchuuriki was only able to partially dodge the older teen's drill-like weapon that managed to catch the side of his stomach with enough form that to send him crashing back several feet.

Gaara got back on his feet as he held his bleeding midsection. "Physical pain…" He panted. "I have not been acquitted with this concept for too long." The young man admitted.

Kimimaro regarded his adversary for a second. "I, on the other hand, have known it all my life." He said before a small trickled of blood ran down the side of his mouth without any notice from the tanned monster. "Tell me… You are a shinobi for the Hidden Sand, why are you involving yourself with this matter?" The Kaguya questioned.

"The official word is that I am doing this a show of cooperation from my village as way of apologizing for our involvement in the attack your master orchestrated." Gaara responded. "But really… I simply owe a debt to someone that I can never hope to repay and this is the least I can do." The red answered firmly as he took his hand away from his side, showing that the wound that was openly bleeding moments ago had now closed.

The grey haired teen narrowed his eyes. "It is really too bad…" Kimimaro suddenly commented with a sigh.

The redhead was slightly taken back. "What is?" He inquired.

"You and I both fight for the sake of someone who we owe far too much to." The Oto nin started. "I wish that you would have been the last opponent I ever got to face." He revealed. "A battlefield shared with you does not sound like a bad place to finally rest… Unfortunately, you let that guy get away from me."

Gaara could feel as a new sudden wave of killer intent swept through the forest.

"I still have to track him and kill him less he continues to interfere with Orochimaru-sama's plans." Kimimaro said as he took a much more aggressive stance. "So I have to kill you quickly first."

The Jinchuuriki remained quiet for a couple of seconds. "You can try…" He said in a grave tone. Suddenly, the bubbling chakra around his body started to boil violently. "I will not let you harm Uzumaki Naruto!" Gaara grunted as his fangs become more pronounce and the ground beneath his feet started to shake.

Kimimaro had heard before about the power that a Jinchuuriki held, but witnessing it was completely different.

The skin seemed to be tearing off the genin's body as he emanated wave after wave of pure killer intent. "Graaagh!" The Sand ninja roared as all the chakra around him seemingly exploded.

As the dust settled, the Kaguya was greeted by the sight of a strange and menacing red figure swinging its single tail. There were no facial features except for its mouth and eyes that appeared as mere empty white voids.

The creature took a step forwards and dust around it seemed to dissipate as if it was trying to run away. Suddenly, it thrust one of its claws forwards, which extended as it flew towards the Sound shinobi.

Though Kimimaro was able to dodge the attack, the dark red arm was able to graze him, immediately burning his skin with the mere touch. Seeing the creature's other arm coming his way, the grey haired teen jumped into the air, the two appendages followed in quick pursuit.

Swinging his whip, the Oto nin cut down the two incoming limbs, but his efforts were useless as they instantly grew back and continue their chase.

The grey haired teen was forced to jump between branches as the red limps pursue him, no matter how many times he cut them down, they would return as if it were nothing.

Eventually, the creatures' arms got a hold of their prey, wrapping themselves around the dark skinned monsters, searing his skin.

"Sawarabi no Mai!" Kimimaro exclaimed through the pain as he forced his body down to slam his restricted hands onto the ground. Immediately, several large bones emerge out of the dirt, severing the creature's arm.

More and more bones started sprouting all around the forest.

Beneath the red beast's paws, more bones began rising, forcing it to jump out of the way.

The Kaguya took this chance to close in on his opponent, but the creature had already recovered and charged forward to meet the Sound nin's attack with one of his own.

The fight between the two monsters continued for a while and very soon the forest was unrecognizable. Giant bones spread throughout, trees snapped like twigs, bone fragments scattered, and burn marks could be found everywhere.

Kimimaro landed some distance away from his opponent, bringing one of his hands up as he started to cough. Looking down at his hand, he saw it covered in blood. "My time is running out…" He commented, glancing ahead at his adversary.

Despite not showing any sign of slowing down, the beast seemed to be heaving.

"The extended use of the Bijuu's chakra must be taking a toll on him." The Oto shinobi reasoned, realizing that their battle was coming to a close. "I have to finish this now…" He said as he panted. "I still have to protect… Orochimaru-sama's plan…" The Kaugya said as he aimed the large bone drill on his left arm. A large amount of dark chakra started to emanate from the young man's body.

The creature seemed to understand its opponent's intentions as it let out a menacing growl before suddenly opening its mouth wide. A monstrous amount of chakra started to gather in front of the red beast in the shape of a sphere as the ground beneath it started to give as if the creature had suddenly become a lot heavier.

"Gyargh!" Kimimaro let out a primal roar as he charged forward with his drill, faster that he had ever moved before.

"_Naruto, the look you had in your eyes…"_ Gaara's consciousness thought from inside the creature as it reeled back. _"That look of worry for someone else's well being… I want it too."_ The chakra sphere was ready. _"Naruto… Am I capable of protecting the people I care about…?"_ He pondered as the red beast pushed its body forward, releasing a devastating blast at the incoming Kimimaro.

A colossal explosion detonated in the forest, consuming both monsters and their torn battlefield in a blinding light while the earth shook.

* * *

Kakashi jumped from branch to branch at an impressive speed. The jounin's mind raged with thoughts about his students.

He had truly let things get out of control. His own damn pride had almost destroyed one of his students and then it had kept him from making things right.

Due to his own hesitation, the Hatake had let down every important person in his life from the Third Hokage and his own teacher to even Gai who still refused to speak to him about anything that was not mission related. Who would have thought that the silver haired man would miss the constant _youthful_ challenges from his fellow jounin.

"I have to fix things…." Kakashi muttered to himself. "Things are about to go over the edge for Team Seven… And for the sake of my students and all those that people that placed their trust in me, I have to prevent that from happening." The Copy Ninja stated.

He knew that things were nearing its boiling point when he left for this mission, so now, as Konohagakure appeared in his view, the silver haired man could only hope that it was not too late.

As soon as he was done with the paperwork for the mission he had just finished, Kakashi would call for a long overdue meeting for Team Seven.

* * *

Yanagi no Mai – Dance of the Willow

Karamatsu no Mai – Dance of the Larch

Houyoku – Phoenix Wingbeat (Made up)

Tsubaki no Mai – Dance of the Camellia

Sabaku Ame – Desert Rain (Made up)

Tessenka no Mai: Tsuru/Hana – Dance of the Clematis: Vine/Flower

Sawarabi no Mai – Dance of the Seedling Fern

* * *

**Kisame –** Yeah… I'm still not sure it hasn't been a whole years since the last update… I think you knew that I had to renew my driver's license soon and you just want me to go out driving with and expire one and get pulled over.

**Itachi –** Oh, for Kami's sake! It has only been a we… Wait a minute… You drive a car?

**Kisame –** Of course. Don't you?

**Itachi –** I'm a shinobi… If I want to get somewhere I simply ninja my way there.

**Lee –** Yosh! After this chapter I can't wait to fight Gaara again!

**Itachi –** Calm down Lee, you still recovering in the story. You just have to wait a bit longer.

**Lee –** Yes, I can't wait to get back in action in the next arc!

**Kisame –** Wait a minute… How do you two know what's going to happen next in the fic?

**Lee – **Because Phoenixsun already gave out the scripts for the next arc to the people that are going to be in it!

**Kisame –** But… But… What about me…?

**Itachi –** Uhm… Anyways, thanks for reading PHD. Hope to see you in the next chapter as the arc nears its end.

**Lee –** And please review! It helps Phoenixsun greatly!


	28. Kaleidoscopic Bond

**Itachi –** Finally, after the long wait, here's PHD's chap… Guys will you put the game down, we have things to do.

**Kisame –** In a second… Lee, don't you dare marry Lissa to that prick!

**Lee –** But Kisame-san, they belong together!

**Itachi – **You guys are still playing Fire Emblem? That game is months old!

**Lee –** Phoenixsun-san only let us use his copy recently…

**Kisame –** The bastard…

**Itachi –** Nevertheless, about PHD's chapter 28?

**Kisame –** It's probably months away before Phoenixsun can finish it. We have time.

**Itachi –** Fine, I'll do it by myself. *Clear throat* Since the last update, Phoenixsun has rewritten chapters 5, 6, and 7, and we honestly suggest…

**Kisame –** You idiot that's our last Master Seal!

**Lee –** Lon'qu needs it, Kisame-san!

**Itachi –** *Sigh* _I_ honestly suggest that you go back to read them before reading this one, since there are some… _themes_ that relate. Now, with that out of the way, I leave you with PHD's chapter 28.

**Kisame –** I don't want him as a Swordmaster! Make him an Assassin!

**Itachi – **Grrr…

* * *

_**Kaleidoscopic Bond**_

Naruto pushed his body to move as fast as it could. With each branch he jumped off of, the blond tried desperately not to think about what he had to leave behind, about his severely injured friends, about the insanely powerful shinobi from Sound, or about the gigantic explosion he had felt a while back. All that genin could allow himself to focus on was catching up with the blue haired teen and save Sasuke; otherwise all that he and his friends had gone throughout would be rendered meaningless.

"I swear… After I bring him home I'm going to beat Sasuke within an inch of his life…" Naruto said to himself between jumps in order to keep his mind off more unpleasant matters. "Or better yet… I will just let him face the wrath of the village girls… While I just sit back and enjoy the show…" He added.

Focusing back on the chase, the Sharingan user had forgotten how long he had been running after Ukon for quite some time. The silent threat issued by Kimimaro had seemingly done its job as it lit a powerful fire under the blue haired shinobi. Despite being severely injured by Shikamaru's trap, the Sound nin had been running at top speed since the very start and not giving any signs of slowing down, making it incredibly difficult for Naruto to catch up.

Finally, after what had to be at least several hours of chasing, Naruto was able to make up Ukon's and the wood container's figures in the distance. "You bastard… I got you now." The spiky haired teen said to himself, managing to muster a bit more speed thanks to the elation at the sight of his target.

Sensing a power spike behind him, Ukon looked over his shoulder. The Oto nin's eyes widened in shock when he saw the blond right on his tail. "How… How did you get pass Kimimaro?!" The young man exclaimed in surprise and bewilderment, but, to his credit, did not slow down.

Little by little, Naruto started to reduce the distance between him and the Sound ninja. Just a bit more and he could bring this whole crazy mission to an end.

Ukon started to panic. The spiky haired boy was going to catch up to him at any minute and even if he dropped the Uchiha and made a run for it, it would not be long before Kimimaro or Orochimaru himself found him. Suddenly the sight of a river appeared in front of the blue haired teen filling him with hope. "I'm almost at the border." The Oto nin whispered to himself. "If I can just make it down the waterfall it'll be a straight shot right out of this hell hole!" He said feeling a bit of energy returning to his body.

Quickly closing the distance, Ukon jumped off the waterfall's edge and for a second, he could already picture himself reaching Orochimaru's hide out. The next second, however, the wooden container exploded and large dragon mouth made out of electricity engulfed the blue haired teen completely.

By the time Ukon's body finally landed on the ground, it never moved again.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted when he watched the explosion and the Raiton jutsu disappear over the edge. Reaching the waterfall, the blond jumped into one of the two statues and glanced down, his eyes widening in surprised by what greeted them.

At the foot of the waterfall, a strange figure was panting. The _creature_ had dark skin and long, messy dark gray hair. Then, slowly, the skin begun to clear up and the hair to recede, and gradually that figure started to resemble Sasuke once again.

"What the hell…" Naruto whispered to himself before shaking off his bewilderment. "Sasuke are you alright?!" He called out.

The Uchiha was glancing down at his own body trying to make sense of what had just happened. It had been like his first experience with the Cursed Seal back in the forest of death, only about one thousand times stronger. He had felt incredibly powerful and eager to take on the world once again; the only difference then and now, though, was that the raven haired teen knew better this time. His teammate's voice snapped the genin out of his thoughts. "I… I think I am…" He responded.

Sighing in relief, Naruto decided that it would be better to deal with whatever had just happen once they were both back in the village. "That's great… Let's go! If we hurry we can make it back before Ichiraku's closes!" The blond stated. "Also, Shikamaru and the others probably need medical attention." He added with the small hint of humor as he was about to turn around and set out back to Konoha.

"No…" Sasuke responded in a low voice just barely audible by the blond on top of the waterfall.

"What…?" The Jinchuuriki asked incredulously as he turned back around and looked down at his teammate.

The Uchiha held his gaze at the spiky haired teen. "I'm not planning to go back to the village..." He clarified. Sure, whatever the Sound ninjas had done to him did make the raven haired genin feel stronger than he ever felt before, but Sasuke knew too well that that his newfound power would be meaningless. What the young man truly wanted was to become strong enough to suppress any instinct that genetically might drive him to destroy the things he valued the most, as Itachi had claimed he would, and for that what he needed, above all less, was control, and his experience in the Forest of Death had made it clear that he had no control over whatever power the Cursed Seal gave him. "At least not for now..." Sasuke added finally dropping his gaze.

"Are you crazy?!" Naruto screamed, not bothering to hide his anger. "Shikamaru and the others risked their lives for you! Sakura was left completely devastated because of what you did!" He shouted. "And despite all that you still want to continue with this stupidity!" The blonde's word echoed throughout the entire valley.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, but he was unable to stop the anger that was rising inside of him too. "It's exactly because of them that I'm doing this!" He shouted back. "We're both Uchiha! Our blood will try to get us to kill each other! Do you want to put Sakura and the others through that?!" The raven haired teen asked.

"You don't know that!" The Jinchuuriki rebutted. "The only time I've ever wanted to kill you is right now! And not because of the Uchiha blood, but because your acting like a colossal moron!" Naruto shouted, closing his fist so tight that blood started to run down from them.

Trying to calm himself, Sasuke shook his head. "You just don't understand…" He whispered as his gaze dropped down. From the edge of his line of sight, the young man could see his reflection on the water.

The two genin remained silent for several minutes. Naruto glaring at Sasuke, while the raven haired teen continued to look at the ground.

"Fight me, Naruto…" Sasuke finally said, taking his teammate by surprise. "If I win, that means that I should be strong enough to hold back whatever power the Uchiha blood has over me and I can return to the village." The young man pointed out. "But if I lose, you have to let me leave." He added.

The blond shook his head. "Just went I thought you couldn't say anything stupider…" He commented humorlessly. "I'm not going to fight you, Sasuke." The Jinchuuriki stated firmly.

The Uchiha's eyes narrowed. "Yes, you will… If you want to finally put an end to his whole ordeal." The young man declared. "Fight me, and fight me with all you have so that we can finally find out who is stronger, you know I'll be able to tell if you hold back."

Anger started to overwhelm the spiky haired teen again. "Then what's stopping me from beating the holy hell out of you and then simply dragging your sorry ass back to the village?" He asked playing along.

Sasuke's eyes did not waver at the question. "Then the first thing I'll do when I get back is put in my resignation as a ninja of the Leaf, it's that simple." He calmly responded.

A pair of sapphire eyes widened in surprise for a second before they narrowed in pure and unrelenting anger. "_It's that simple_, huh?" He repeated his teammate's words. "Very well…" The blond continued as his hand reached up to his Leaf headband. "If you can so easily ignore the suffering you're inflicting on those you care about, then so can I…" Naruto added as he ripped out the headband from his forehead and threw it to the side. "I'm just going to beat the living crap out of you! It's that simple!" He shouted as the Sora Sharingan appeared in his eyes and he jumped off the waterfall.

By the time Sasuke activated his own Sharigan, half a dozen blondes had already landed around him and immediately moved in to attack.

Thanks to the fact that his dojutsu had finally fully matured, Sasuke could actually followed all the incoming punches and kicks from Naruto and his clones. Unfortunately, being able to see them did not do much against the strength, speed, and greater number that they were coming at. Little by little, the raven haired boy was being pushed back as he was forced to stay completely in the defensive.

Eventually, a punch broke through the raven haired teen's defenses, connecting with the side of his face and causing him to stumble back several steps to the point he was pushed back onto the lake.

Seeing the army of spiky haired genin immediately lunged forwards after him, Sasuke cut off the chakra emanation from his feet and let his body fall into the water, but not before releasing an explosive tag just as his opponents were closing in. Underwater, the raven haired boy saw the explosion engulf all of his attackers.

The Uchiha resurfaced a short distance away, but was not quick enough when the real Naruto shot out of the cloud of smoke left by the explosive tag and delivered a devastating blow to the raven haired genin's midsection with enough force to send his body flying away.

Feeling his lights go out for a second, Sasuke was able to recover mid-flight and quickly formed a series of hand seals. "Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" He called out before releasing a large fireball down towards the blond.

"Suigadan!" Naruto responded instantly as the water projectiles shot out of the lake an intercepted the incoming Katon attack, canceling each other out.

Once Sasuke landed back on the water, the two Sharingan users took a second to glare at each other before charging forward to continue their fight.

* * *

Wandering through the door, Sakura immediately closed it behind her. Letting out a weary sigh as she pressed her back against the wooden object, the Leaf genin let her body slide down until she was sitting in the dark on the cold and dirty floor of Naruto's apartment.

Once the _Kunoichi Meeting_ finally ended, the pink haired girl had expressed her desire not to go home. Thankfully, without even asking questions about it, Ino told her that she would cover for her and tell her parents that she was staying over so they would not worry.

After that, the Haruno wandered the streets by herself, trying her best not to think of what might be happening with her teammates and friends at the moment, but failing miserably. Were they able to find Sasuke? Where they able to convince him to come back? Did the confrontation turned physical? Why have they yet to hear anything from them? All of those questions and many more continued to echo inside the kunoichi's mind.

Eventually, in the middle of all that deep pondering, Sakura found herself back at Naruto's apartment, and, having nowhere else to spent what would most likely be a long night, decided to enter. "He really needs to learn how to clean his stuff…" The girl said humorlessly as she glanced around at the chaotic apartment, having failed to see the disarray when she had been there earlier. Those events seemed like they had been a lifetime ago, a lifetime that she was forced to do nothing but wait and hope for her teammates to turn up and tell her that everything was going to be fine.

Throwing away the half-eaten cup of ramen she had left before Tenten had decided to, almost forcibly, drag her out, as well as some of the thrash nearby, Sakura decided to wash some of her teammate's dishes while she was at it. Anything to keep her mind away from aggravating thoughts.

For the first few minutes, the pink haired teen's plan worked as she was able to clean a couple of plates without sinking back into despair. However, her small peace of mind was cut short by sudden sound of something falling to the floor and of glass shattering.

Looking around, Sakura soon found the source of the noise. Approaching the object, the young woman realized that one of the portraits Naruto kept had fallen front its place up on the wall. Picking the picture up, the Haruno felt a terrible shiver run down her spine as she saw that it had been Naruto's copy of Team Seven's picture that had fallen. The genin was so shocked that she accidentately cut one of her fingers with a shard of broken glass, a few drops her blood falling directly on the unprotected picture.

Immediately, the suffocating sense of dread returned at full force. "Please… Let this just be a mere coincidence…" Sakura prayed to whatever god would listen and hoped that the fall of the picture frame would not be some sort of bad omen, that it would not be the world's way of telling her that Team Seven was done for. "Sasuke-kun… Naruto… Please come back." The girl broke down as the weight of the entire situation became too much for her to bear. Her tears washed away the blood that had fallen on the portrait.

* * *

"Rasengan!"

"Chidori!"

Things had escalated in the fight between the two Leaf genin. Punches and kicks gave way to kunai and shuriken, which in turn were replace by ninjutsu, leading to the clash between the two powerful techniques right at the foot of the waterfall.

Through the collision of raw chakra, Naruto and Sasuke managed to glare at each other once again before their attacks detonated into a massive explosion, throwing the two teenagers back as if they were ragdolls.

"Had enough yet, Sasuke?" The blond asked in a ragged breath as he secured his footing on top of the lake.

The Uchiha struggled to push his body off the ground as the knot that tied his headband came undone and the artifact fell off. "Of course not… Why? You want to quit?" The raven haired boy retorted, his voice just as tired.

Without saying another word, the two Sharingan users lunged at each other once again, coming full circle as both of them went back to use their fists to attack their opponent.

As they resumed trading punches, Sasuke felt himself gaining more and more ground. Suddenly his speed was starting to keep up and his strength to push back the blond, gradually exhaustion gave way to excitement. Managing to completely dodged a punch that was aimed at his head, the Uchiha had a clear shot to deliver a powerful kick onto Naruto's stomach with enough force to push him back all the way to the stone wall at the edge of the valley. A smile appeared on the raven haired teen's face at the look of anger he received from his teammate.

Unbeknownst to Sasuke, the first level of the Cursed Seal had activated sometime during the fight.

Naruto quickly performed hand seals. "Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" He breathed out a fireball towards his teammate.

Not bothering to challenge the attack, the raven haired genin simply jumped high into the air to avoid the incoming Katon jutsu. Taking out a pair of kunai, the Uchiha threw them in succession towards the blond.

Sidestepping the first projectile, the Jinchuuriki evade the second blade as he jumped after the raven haired teen. However, being too focus on his target caused Naruto to fail to notices the two cables tied to both kunai.

Sasuke brought the ends of the threads up to his mouth. "Ryuuka no Jutsu!" He called out before breathing fire into the cables and sending a pair of fire dragons speeding down towards the spiky haired boy.

Cursing under his breath at the realization that he did not have enough time for hand seals that would take him out of his current predicament, Naruto had no other option but to send chakra into his eyes. "Amaterasu…" Instantly, a surge of black flames stopped the two dragons right on their tracks, consuming both of them in a matter of seconds.

However, surprising both genin, the black flames did not stop there as they quickly traveled up towards Sasuke on the pair of threads that had carried the Uchiha's jutsu.

Realizing the danger, Sasuke let go of the cables before the flames could get to him. Unfortunately, the Leaf nin was too slow as a single ember managed to reach him, immediately setting his entire left sleeve on fire. The searing pain was instant, causing the raven haired teen to fall down limply on the ground.

Trying not to let panic overwhelm him, the Uchiha searched until he found somewhere to grab a hold of his cloths that was not on fire and ripped out the fabric that was ablaze.

Immediately, the severe pain that the Sharingan users was feeling was replace by intense dread at the sight of the Cursed Seal's marking spread to most of his body's left side. "What…?" Sasuke whispered in surprise. "When did it…?" The boy's inquiry was cut short as the seals suddenly started to throb, sending wave after wave of searing pain throughout his entire being.

Naruto watched stunned as his teammate toppled over and the black marks on his body started to glow burning red. Slowly, the seals continued to spread, transforming Sasuke into the figure that the blond had seen from atop of the waterfall with the darkened skin and long gray hair.

"Aaargh!" The Uchiha screamed in pain as a pair of large, wing-like appendages sprout from his back. Opening his eyes, the genin revealed a pair of large, blackened eyes with a fear-filled Sharingan in the middle of it.

"Let's stop this Sasuke." Naruto suggested once the initial shock wore off. Worry taking the place of the anger that had been controlling him. "You need help." He added.

Still trying to shake the terror of his sudden transformation off, the raven haired teen shook his head. "No… No we will finish this…" He said as he struggled to stand up. Even though all the pain his body was in had been replaced by more energy and strength that the young man had ever felt, Sasuke still felt extremely unsure of himself as the shock had yet to wear off. "You just want to quit… Because I was starting to… To gain the upper hand." The genin said, trying to still his nerves.

"Damn it!" The Jinchuuriki exclaimed as the anger started to return. "Would you quit acting so stupid?! Things are getting way out of hand already and yet you still want to continue?!" The blond raged as he griped his fist tightly.

Sasuke shook his head. "I have to keep going… We have to…" The transformed teen's body wavered the slightest. "We have to settle this one and for all." He stated before charging forward.

Cursing once more, Naruto lunged forward to meet his teammate head on, pumping chakra into his arms to keep up with his opponent's transformed state.

The collision between the two genin was strong enough to cause a small weave to ripple through the lake. Both Sharingan users were pushed back by the backlash of their attack and, as soon as they landed, the two started making hand seals immediately.

"Suigadan!"

"Housekan no Jutsu!"

A pair of water twister rose out of the lake from the blonde's jutsu, but they were immediately ripped into droplets of water by the barrage of small fireballs released by the raven haired teen. Naruto was force to jump back to dodge the incoming attack.

Sasuke took advantage of the split second that his opponent was preoccupied with dodging to charge forward at top speed, a Chidori soon chirping in his left hand.

Moving on instinct, the Jinchuuriki made a series of seals. "Kakougan Kangoku no Jutsu." He quickly declared before several stone walls rose between him and the incoming, Raiton wielding Uchiha. The Chidori smashed through all the barriers easily, but it was still enough time for Naruto not only to make a clean get away, but also position himself behind his opponent to counter with a roundhouse kick.

Seeing his teammate's leg approach the raven haired boy moved one of his wing appendages up to block it. Though the wing managed to absorb most of the impact, the kick still carried enough force to push the transformed teen back.

The two Sharingan users caught each other eyes for a single second before instantly charging at each other again, their fists colliding with each other once more before they both jumped back to put some distance between them.

Looking at each other, both members silently came to an agreement to go all out in their next attack and each started to pool massive amounts of chakra. Soon, one genin was surrounded by a dragon made out of pure electricity while the other was covered in flames, which rose to form a single wing on his right-hand side.

"Houyoku!"

"Raikiri Ryu!"

Almost in synchronized precision, the two boys shot towards each other with their respective jutsus burning in the palm of their hands as they thrust them forward. The pair of powerful ninjutsu collided pushing water and rubble out of their way.

The chakra in the two attacks resonated with one another, trapping the two genin in a sphere of pure light as each tried to push the other one back.

Despite the blinding brilliance of their surrounding, the two Sharingan users could still see each other clearly. Neither of them knew the reason why, maybe it was because of the rivalry they had held against the other for so long, or maybe because of the hold their Uchiha blood had over them, but at that moment they both felt a sense of contentment.

Suddenly, any feeling of ease was stripped away from Naruto as he felt a bout of massive pain spread throughout his body. The Jinchuuriki had to deal with brief attacks of pain ever sense he absorbed the fox's chakra, but they had all being quiet short, lasting only enough to be a mild bother, this one, however, was not like that. The spiky haired boy felt as if he had eaten an explosive tag and now his insides were burning up. The pain reached such a high level that for a single moment, the young man completely blacked out, causing the Katon jutsu to extinguish from his hand.

With nothing to clash again all of the sudden, Sasuke's lightning covered hand continued forward and, before the raven haired teen could do anything about, plunged straight into his teammate's chest.

The shock in Naruto's eyes was only matched by Sasuke's as the two looked straight at each other, the light fading away and leaving the two genin standing silently in the middle of the lake.

Ever so slowly and without uttering a single sound, Naruto's body started to fall back. The Uchiha hand getting dislodged out of his chest as the blond fell into the water.

Sasuke's mind refused to make sense of what has just occurred; instead his eyes simply followed his teammate as he disappeared into the blood stained waters of the lake. The Uchiha dropped to his knees as the water begun to clear of the spiky haired boy's blood and his reflection started to become visible. In it, the Uchiha could see the Cursed Seals transformation fading away and his body returning to normal, but then something else caught his attention.

Cold dread washed over the raven haired genin as his brother's words about the Mangekyou Sharingan echoed inside his head. In his reflection on the water, Sasuke witnessed as his own Sharingan started to change. The three comas had melded into the circle in the center which was now sprouting small spikes around its perimeter, making it look like a six-point star and was still in the process of changing, of evolving.

Naruto felt strange, his descent into the depths of the lake had suddenly halted, leaving him suspended motionlessly in the water.

"**Huh… So you finally got yourself killed, Kit…"** The Kyuubi's voice boomed into his ear. **"Well, I guess it wasn't completely your fault this time."** He added.

A pair of sapphire eyes snapped open, finding themselves in absolute darkness. "What do you mean?" He asked, noticing that the water did not rush in when he opened his mouth. The young Jinchuuriki was starting to doubt he was still in the lake.

A short chuckle escaped the Bijuu. **"Those bouts of pain… It seems that your body is far too young for the amount of chakra you took from me, so my chakra has been trying to forcibly integrate with your own chakra pathways."** The demon explained. **"And today it just happened to occur at the worst possible time."** He pointed out, his voice carrying an amused tone.

"You knew about this?! Why the hell didn't you say anything?!" Naruto demanded to know as anger started to rise inside of him.

"**I was too curious about what would happen, I guess…"** Kyuubi said with disinterest.

The blond gritted his teeth at the respond he received. "And now we're both going to die because of it…" The blond commented bitterly.

Another chuckle echoed through the darkness. **"Not necessarily."** The fox started. **"If you don't fight me off, I could help the integration of my chakra with yours. I'm sure that my chakra will be able to heal that nice little wound your **_**friend**_** opened in your chest."**

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "You'll help me just like that? Am I supposed to believe you don't want anything in exchange?" He asked, not bothering to hide his distrust.

Full on laughter was the initial answer to the boy's question.** "Now you are starting to actually think, Kit."** The Bijuu commented. **"By helping you, I'm ensuring that you don't drag along on your way to hell… And, like I said, I'm curious to see what will happen next."** The fox explained; the amusement thick in his voice.

The Uzumaki remained silent for a few seconds contemplating the proposition. "Fine, you furball… Do your thing." The genin finally decided.

"**Very well, Kit…"** Kyuubi responded. **"But do me and yourself a favor… Don't lose yourself in it. Something tells me that a weak mind like you would not handle guilt very well."** The fox added ominously.

"What…?" Naruto tried to ask what the Bijuu meant, but, before he could finish, all the water around him suddenly started to boil and became agitated.

Back on top of the lake, the still stunned Sasuke continued to look dumbly into the water, tears running silently down his cheeks. The Uchiha was snapped out of his trance when the water around him started to become turbulent. The genin searched his surrounding for whatever was causing it and received an answer in the form of the image of a large ethereal-looking fox rising from the depths of the lake. Before the raven haired genin could even think about how to react to what he was seeing, a flash of orange blinded him and, the next thing he knew, a fist suddenly emerged from the water and connected with his chin, sending him flying into the air.

Another flash of light and Sasuke eyes widened as Naruto appeared in front him in mid air. At first glance, the blond seemed to be on fire, but with his evolving Sharingan the Uchiha could see that it was raw chakra covering his body, with strange black marking all throughout. The blue Sharingan had been replaced by a pair of orange, animalistic slit eyes. The raven haired genin barely had enough time to assess his teammate's new appearance when the spiky haired teen delivered a powerful punch to the side of his face, sending Sasuke flying with so much force that his body skipped in the water.

The Uchiha was still in mid flight when, with another flash, the Uzumaki appeared behind him and drove a powerful kick to the teen's gut, sending him airborne yet again. A fourth flash and Naruto intercepted his fellow genin with a downward punch.

Sasuke was thrown around the entire valley like a ragdoll. The young Leaf nin could not even land anywhere as the transformed blond would appear before that and simply kick him or punch him in another direction.

Finally, Naruto directed a powerful punch into his teammate's midsection, sending him crashing down to the side of the cliff right next to the waterfall.

Being completely controlled by savage instincts, the Jinchuuriki pumped out even more chakra before charging forward to deliver the finishing blow, his fist already pulled back.

An image suddenly appeared in the spiky haired teen's mind. It was a scene of an unconscious Sasuke being held against a tree by his own hand, while Sakura pressed her head against his back and cried. _"NO!"_ Naruto shouted in his mind just as his charged fist was about to crush his teammate's skull.

At the last second, the genin was able to redirect his punch to barely miss the Uchiha and instead drive it into the side of the waterfall, creating a large hole in it. The Jinchuuriki panted in exhaustion as the chakra started to fade from his body and he returned to normal.

Weakly, the raven haired genin opened his eyes and looked at the other Leaf shinobi. "Naruto…?" He was able barely able to mutter.

"It's over…" The blond stated. "It's over now…" The Uzumaki said wearily as he pulled his fist out of the rock.

Sasuke continued to look at his teammate and struggling to remain conscious. Suddenly, the Uchiha's eyes widened as he pushed his body forward. "Look out!" He exclaimed before pushing Naruto out of the way.

The spiky haired teen was caught by surprise and all he could do was watch in horror as Sasuke was impaled by a barrage of bone-like projectiles that was meant for him. "Sasuke!" Naruto shouted.

* * *

Goukakyuu no Jutsu – Great Fireball Jutsu

Suigadan – Water Fang Projectile

Ryuuka no Jutsu – Dragon Fire Jutsu

Housekan no Jutsu – Mythical Phoenix Fire Jutsu

Kakougan Kangoku no Jutsu – Granite Prison Jutsu (Made up)

Houyoku – Phoenix Wingbeat (Made up)

Raikiri Ryu – Lightning Edge Dragon (Made up)

* * *

**Itachi –** In full disclosure, Phoenixsun originally planned for a more drastic and demonic transformation for Naruto… But then he sort of fell in love with Nine-Tail Chakra Mode.

**Kisame – **I prefer his original idea, reminded me of Super Saiyan 3.

**Itachi –** Oh, so you finally decided to join in…

**Kisame –** Hah! I knew all along that the chapter was ready. I was just messing with you.

**Lee –** We realized what was going on half way through the fight…

**Kisame –** Damn it, Lee! We talked about this!

**Itachi –** Anyways, we are really sorry for the delay in the update of this fic.

**Lee –** Phoenixsun has gotten a lot busier lately.

**Kisame –** Yeah, this time is not out of pure laziness.

**Itachi –** And we hope that we can finally bring this arc to a close sooner rather than later.

**Kisame –** Good money on later…

**Itachi –** As always, thank you for reading.


	29. Arm of an Angry God

**Kisame – **Ok, so what do we call this?

**Itachi –** Sooner than we expected, but later than we would have liked.

**Kisame –** Yeah, I guess that sums up this up.

**Lee –** Yosh! I'm just glad there's a new chapter. I didn't like how the last one ended.

**Itachi – **Can't say I enjoyed it ether.

**Kisame – ***Cough*Bro-con*Cough*

**Itachi –** *Glares*

**Lee –** What's a "bro-con"?

**Kisame –** I'll tell you later when I'm at a safe distance from Itachi.

**Itachi – **Grrr… Anyways, here's PHD's chapter 29…

* * *

_**Arm of an Angry God**_

Wet footsteps echoed in the semi-flooded hallway. "Well… This was an unexpected turn…" A deep voice said into the empty space.

In the darkness, a pair of red, canine eyes scanned the walls around them. The old and poorly lit hallway seemed even more battered and dark that it had ever been. It was almost as if a destructive explosion had gone off in it.

"It seems that the spike of chakra was too much for the Kit." The voice reasoned. "The power surge caused severe damage to this place… Who knows what it did to his chakra pathways." He added with just the smallest hint of concern in his tone.

A clawed, furry hand reached out to something under the water. "Huh? I guess this is all the remains of that bastard's seal… It was finally destroyed completely." The voice said as he brought up the broken wooden plank. "Not that I can do anything with that anymore." Kyuubi commented as he continued to look at what remained of his former jail.

This particular part of Naruto's psyche seemed to have received the brunt of the backlash caused by the forceful introduction of the fox's chakra into the young human's pathways and was throw so deep into his consciousness that Kyuubi could no longer sense him or the world outside.

"Ok, Kit, you're on your own for a while." The Bijuu said, wishing that his host would hear him. "Try not to get yourself killed again." He added.

* * *

Weakly, the raven haired genin opened his eyes and looked at the other Leaf shinobi. "Naruto…?" He was able barely able to mutter.

"It's over…" The blond stated. "It's over now…" The Uzumaki said wearily as he pulled his fist out of the rock.

Sasuke continued to look at his teammate and struggling to remain conscious. Suddenly, the Uchiha's eyes widened as he pushed his body forward. "Look out!" He exclaimed before pushing Naruto out of the way.

The spiky haired teen was caught by surprise and all he could do was watch in horror as Sasuke was impaled by a barrage of bone-like projectiles that was meant for him. "Sasuke!" Naruto shouted in disbelief before catching his teammate as he fell back.

"My, my… This simply will not do." A vaguely familiar voice reached the Jinchuuriki's ear causing him to look up at its source. On the other side of the lake, an older shinobi with gray hair and glasses stood watching the two Leaf genin with a smirk on his face. "I can have Sasuke-kun dying on me right now, so could you please hand him over to me, Naruto-kun? After all, it is your fault that he is so gravely wounded since that attack was meant for you." He stated.

The blond gritted his teeth. "Kabuto…!" The Sharingan user spat out. Glaring at the Sound shinobi from across the lake, the boy noticed the loose bandages wrapped around Kabuto's left arm. Naruto's eyes widened as he saw bones sticking out of the Missing nin's forearm.

Noticing what the blond was looking at, Kabuto's smirk widened. "Oh? You noticed, didn't you?" He said raising his left arm. "I take it you met Kimimaro early, so you must know about his bloodline limit. Orochimaru and I both agree that it would have been a shame for it to die with him, so we preformed a couple of experiments with his blood." The gray haired man said as he willed the sprouting bones to continuously change in size. "I managed to isolate the part of the Kaguya DNA that controls this ability and I'm currently testing on how to integrate it to others, so far it is only localized to my arm and…" The bespectacled man suddenly started laughing. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to ramble on, I'm just particularly proud of this accomplishment."

All that Kabuto's words accomplished was intensifying Naruto's glare.

"Anyways, back to the matter at hand." The gray haired man suddenly started again. "As you can see, Sasuke-kun is in a very precarious situation. However, what you may not know is that I am a pretty accomplished medic and I could save his life if you simply hand him over and walk away." He offered with a kind smile. "I even promise not to attack you as you make your way back to the village." The smile widened.

Naruto tightened his hold on his friend. "I'll never let you, or that bastard Orochimaru, take Sasuke!" He stated.

"So you would rather let your teammate die?" Kabuto countered in amusement.

Carefully laying the raven haired teen's body on the ground, the Uzumaki stood up and glared at the older ninja. "No, I will just beat you again and take Sasuke back before it gets to that." The spiky haired boy stated firmly.

A short laugh escaped the Sound nin at the boy's words, however a hint of bitterness could be heard in it. "I would not wager Sasuke-kun's life on another lucky shot if I were you." He commented.

Naruto simply continued to glare as he prepared himself to attack. Unfortunately, the moment he took a step forward, Naruto felt as if his body had suddenly become a thousand times heavier and it took all of his strength not to fall on his knees at that very moment. "What…?" The blond blurted out in surprise before he could help himself.

The Leaf genin's predicament did not go unnoticed by the gray haired man. "It seems that today's exhausting events have finally caught up to you, Naruto-kun."

Ignoring the taunts, the Jinchuuriki tried to recompose himself. _"What… What's going on… It's as if all my chakra was gone…"_ The boy's mind raged. _"Did Kyuubi's chakra… Did the transformation… Caused this…? Burn me out?"_ He wondered.

Casually scratching the back of his head, the smirk returned to Kabuto's face. "Done already, Naruto-kun? Can I take Sasuke-kun with me now?" The Missing nin mocked.

Brining his eyes up to sent a glare at his opponent, the Sharingan user straightened his body. "I guess I have no other option." Naruto commented as he tore his right sleeve off to reveal his summoning tattoo. Smearing some of his blood over it, the blond performed the necessary hand seals. "Namikaze – Kuchiyose not Jutsu!" He called out. The next second, the entry valley was engulfed in a blinding light.

Immediately, Kabuto brought his arm up to protect his eyes from the light. The young man could feel an immense heat emanating from the blonde's direction and he could hear the churning of arcs of lightning striking all around him.

After several seconds, the light finally started to die you. Putting his arm back down, Yakushi Kabuto's eyes widened at the sight that greeted them.

From across the lake, it would seem as if the right side of Naruto's body was completely covered in electricity, but upon closer look it could be seen that the lightning was originating by the artifact in his hand.

The young man's right hand was closed lightly around the body of large, ornate spear make out of a lustrous, navy colored metal with a wide, curved, dark blade up front and golden markings running along the entire body, ending on a large crimson chain with a smaller blade at the end coiling around the blond as if it were a tail.

Kabuto made no attempts to hide neither his amazement nor curiosity. "Tenkai no Ryuga…" The bespectacled shinobi said in wonderment. "A weapon that emanates its own chakra… So many legends and myths about it… The blade that sealed the skies, forged out of dragon blood and bones, a raging storm taking corporeal form… It was believed that the spear was lost along with the Namikaze clan after the Yondaime died…" Realization suddenly dawned on the gray haired man's face. "So that's it… You're the Fourth's brat… Well, that answer so many of the questions I had about you, Naruto-kun."

As a respond to his opponent's words, Naruto trained the blade of his spear at him.

"Along with the Second Hokage's Raijin Sword and Uchiha Madara's War Fan, Ryuga is one of the most prominent weapons associated with the Hidden Leaf. I would love to have a chance to examine it." The sound nin commented. "Tell me, Naruto-kun, after I kill you, will Ryuga remain behind or disappear immediately?" He wondered with a mixture of amusement and mockery.

Without acknowledging the medic nin's words, Naruto pushed his body forward. Immediately, the lightning around the spear increased to the point that it hid the blonde's body completely, making it seem as if he wear a bolt of lightning racing across the water at its target.

Swiftly, Kabuto jumped out of the way a second before the ground where he had been standing on exploded in a blast of Lightning chakra. Turning around in mid air, the gray haired man pointed his transformed arm at the cloud of dust hat had risen and unleashed a barrage of bone projectiles towards its center.

Out of the dust, Ryuga's chain shot out, seemingly moving on its own to quickly intercept all of the incoming bones.

"I see…" The medic nin started as he landed back on the ground. "You're already out of energy so you are relying on Ryuga to fight this battle for you." He commented in a mocking tone.

Another streak of lighting shot out towards the Sound ninja. Kabuto barely had time to dodge it and land back down before he was forced to jump again as a third attack followed suit. When the fourth attack came just a few second later, the bespectacled young man decided to stop evading. Planting his feet firmly on the ground, the Yakushi willed a long, thick bone out of his altered arm and brought it out to meet the incoming bolt of lightning.

To the Kaguya Shikotsumyaku's credit, the bone that the medic had conjured actually managed to meet the Ryuga's blade head on and not break on impact.

Surrounded by Lightning chakra, the two shinobi locked eyes as each tried to push the other back. Naruto gritted his teeth as he put all his weight behind his spear.

Kabuto could feel the lighting chakra emanating from the Namikaze weapon starting to burn bits of his skin off and he could see as bone club he created was already starting to break.

The Sound ninja had no other choice but to jump back and put some distance between himself and the genin. "So it is true that Ryuga will only accept someone with Namikaze blood to be near it." The gray haired man commented. "That is yet another incentive to finish by gene splicing project." He added as he flexed his altered arm.

Despite using the chakra emanating from Ryuga for bulk of his offensive, exhaustion was quickly creeping up Naruto. _"I need to… Keep going… So close to putting an end to all of this…"_ The blond thought as he lifted the spear once again and propelled himself forward.

The bespectacled young man jumped out of the way to evade the attack. "Dokugiri!" Kabuto said, taking a deep breath before releasing a purple cloud of poison down on the Leaf nin.

Seeing the venomous attack coming down towards him, the Jinchuuriki lifted his weapon up over his head and started spinning it in his hand.

Ryuga's chakra flooded out of its form as it spun and created a twister that easily dissipated the poisonous cloud.

Kabuto braced himself as the charka cyclone let out shockwaves that rippled throughout the valley. "This is starting to get out of hand…" The young man commented before starting to make hand seals at a heightened speed. "Suiryudan no Jutus!" He called out before the lake suddenly erupted and a large water dragon emerged from its depth.

The water behemoth let out a powerful roar as it thrashed around on top of the lake until it positioned himself between its creator and his opponent before charging towards the spiky haired boy.

"Gyargh!" Naruto let a strong roar of his own before swinging Ryuga at the incoming attack.

A powerful streak of Lightning chakra shot out of the spear's blade as a wave that met the liquid dragon head on. The powerful water jutsu was easily ripped apart by the flying slash, which continued its destructive path towards the Yakushi.

Shaking off the surprise that a high level jutsu like Suiryudan was so easily defeated, Kabuto tried to dodge the incoming attack by jumping away. Unfortunately for the medic nin, he was not quickly enough to fully evade the attack, and some of the electricity managed to make contact with the right side of his body.

As soon as he landed on the ground, Kabuto started applying some of his medical jutsu to the searing wounds that the last strike had caused, but he barely had a few second to numb some of the pain when another lightning charged assault from the Uzumaki came down towards him.

This time, the Oto shinobi managed to move away in time to properly evade the attack. However, his success was short lived when Ryuga's tail shot out of the cloud of the smoke again and went flying straight towards the gray haired young man, wrapping itself around his ankle.

Less than a second before the chain's hold on his ankle was taut, Kabuto felt his body being pulled towards the dissipating cloud of dust from which some streaks of lighting could already be seen, letting the Missing nin know that his opponent was already charging another attack.

Before Naruto could unleash Ryuga's wrath, the medic nin made a hand seal. The next second his body suddenly disappeared, letting the chain recoil back, and resurfaced some distance away. For the first time in the fight, Kabuto panted as he tried to regain his bearing after the close call. "I set up the Shunshin marker before the fight started… But I honestly never thought I would actually have to use it…" He admitted. "It seems that I cannot afford to underestimate you any longer, Naruto-kun."

Despite himself, the Uzumaki had no choice but lower his spear for support for a few second while he caught his breath. "Don't beat yourself up… People around me have a habit to underestimate me." The blond said, he knew that for him to even have a chance at emerging victorious he could not lose the offensive, unfortunately he was near exhaustion and had no other choice but to try stalling and buy some time to recover his energy.

A smirk appeared on Kabuto's face. "We do that, don't we?" He commented. "I remember right before the Chunin Exam started, I passed Orochimaru-sama my report on Sasuke-kun and all the people around him. At that time I had you classified as a minor annoyance, that even with the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside you, there was no way for you to interfere with the plan of _recruiting_ Sasuke-kun."

The Leaf genin let out a short laugh. "Boy, were you wrong." The spiky haired teen mocked.

"Tell me about it." Kabuto responded. "The following day, you managed to make our Genin team piss on their pants and held your own against Orochimaru-sama, then you defeated a Hyuuga prodigy, stopped Sabaku no Gaara, and got one over yours truly." The Sound ninja summed up. "At every turn you manage to blow away my expectations of you. So, please, help an inquiring mind, what is it that it makes you so strong?" He asked.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he regarded his opponent. "It's something that you don't have…" The young man stated plainly.

The smile in the medic nin's face widened. "Oh? Something I do not posses?" He repeated. "Is it the Kyuubi? Your Sharingan? Or that weapon in your hands?" The Sound shinobi pondered in amusement.

"It's none of those!" The spiky haired boy responded before charging forward once more.

Jumping back, Kabuto got out of the danger area right before the lightning charged genin stroke.

Immediately, Ryuga's chain came alive as it launched itself at the gray haired ninja, forcing the young man to produce another large bone out of his transformed arm and use it to try to fend off the incoming duo of chain and blade.

Caught up on deflecting the stabs from Ryuga's tail, Kabuto almost missed a charge that came in crashing down at full force. The Oto nin was able to get out of the way and avoid the bulk of the impact, but some of the Lightning chakra managed to reach him, scorching his cloths and quite a bit of the skin underneath it.

This time, the older shinobi did not even have time to numb his burns before the chained end of the blonde's spear was back on the assault, furiously stabbing at the young man, forcing him to fight it off again.

Slowly but surely, Kabuto started to lose ground against the Namikaze weapon. Even creating a second bone sword did little against the lightning charged strikes and soon the medic nin was backed against a wall at the end of the valley.

Predicting what was coming next, the Oto nin used the wall behind him to jump out of the way of the attack that followed a second later. "Ok, Naruto-kun…. You forced my hand." Kabuto commented as he landed, smiling at his own pun.

A pair of sapphire eyes widened when they saw his opponent's already-monstrous arms, suddenly being covered by a dark rip-like patter. The blond barely had time to register that the markings were identical to the one he saw on Kimimaro's body before the rip-like pattern started to glow and expand, turning Kabuto's arm into a dark, tan color.

The Sound ninja took a couple more jumps back to increase the distance between himself and the genin. "Sawarabi no Mai!" Kabuto called out before slamming his left palm onto the ground.

Immediately, the ground started shaking.

Acting on instinct, Naruto jumped into the air just in time to evade the hundreds of giant, sharp bones that sprouted out of the ground that would have completely ripped him to shreds.

"Not so fast, Naruto-kun." The Sound nin commented with a smirk. The next second, a barrage of bones shot out of the ground at a high speed, all aiming at the genin.

Despite the efforts of Ryuga's tail in blocking the incoming projectiles, many of the bones managed to land several cuts on the airborne Jinchuuriki. "There's no other way out…" Naruto murmured to himself at realizing how helpless his situation was. Trying to block out of the pain inflicting on him by the ongoing barrage, the spiky haired boy placed both hands on his spear and pumped his remaining chakra into it.

Suddenly, electricity covered the entire chain and its movements became a lot faster, deflection all of the incoming projectiles, before it shot down and started circling around the gray haired ninja.

Before Kabuto could even react to his opponent latest strategy, the older ninja started to feel a numbing sensation spreading through his body. Looking at the circling chain, the medic's eyes widened in astonishment as he figured out what was happening. "The Lightning chakra from the chain…! It's affecting my nervous system!" He exclaimed in surprise, finding that it was already difficult to move his body.

"Arashi no Kago…" The sudden words caused the bespectacled man to look up in the air. Naruto was right over him with the Namikaze weapon trained straight down. "It's over, Kabuto…!" The younger ninja stated before he was completely covered by electricity and shot downwards.

Restricted by the chain's effect, Kabuto could only look up helplessly as he was struck down by lightning.

The blinding impact sounded like a dragon's roar that echoed far pass the valley.

Dust and the occasional arc of electricity followed the immediate wake of the thunderous assault, and at the middle of it all, Naruto could not even see anything past his own nose. Eventually, the rubble started to settle, allowing the blond to regain his vision. Looking down, the genin let out a weary breath at the sight of Kabuto's lifeless body at his feet, Ryuga's blade impaled on the Missing nin's chest. "It's finally o…" The young man stopped at might sentence when something caught his eye.

Suddenly, all physical traits started to disappear from Kabuto's body until all that was left behind was a human size mud doll. The surprised genin, immediately removed his weapon from the earth figure, unfortunately, this only caused his eyes to widen even more since the crack left behind on the figure revealed an explosive tag hidden inside. The spiky haired teen did not even have a second to react before the mud clone exploded.

Naruto's body was sent flying away like rag doll, skipping on the ground as he landed harshly. "I have to hand to you, Naruto-kun…" The blond heard as he struggled to get back up. "That was a really nice try. I sensed no hesitation as you delivered the killing blow." Kabuto added as he emerged from underneath the earth just a few feet away from the Uzumaki.

"Dam… Damn you…" The genin spat out as he used Ryuga to help himself get back on his feet. Suddenly, an intense, searing pain shot through the Leaf nin's body. Looking down at his hands, Naruto saw the weapon's chakra sparking wildly. "No… Not now… Damn it!" He cursed.

From his position, Kabuto watched the events unfold with curiosity.

The spiky haired boy brought both hands to the spear as he tried to force the blade to yield to his will. _"Damn it… I still haven't mastered this thing… And without any chakra left I can't keep it under control!"_ The young man raged inside his mind.

While the Jinchuuriki tried to get the weapon under control, Ryuga started to glow with a blinding light, and then suddenly banished from the Jinchuuriki's hand, leaving a stunned and defenseless Naruto behind.

"That's a shame." The Sound nin's voice seemed to echo inside the blonde's mind. "I really would have liked to study Ryuga just a little longer." The medic revealed as right hand suddenly started to emanate chakra in preparation for the young man's Chakra no Mesu technique. "You fought well, Naruto-kun… I hope you find some solace in that fact." He said before moving in for the finishing strike.

"_I'm… I'm done…"_ The young genin pondered as he waited for the killing blow. _"I have no chakra left… No energy left… No strength left…"_ He thought. _"I couldn't protect Sasuke, let down all my friends that put their lives on the line in this mission, and I failed to keep my promise to Sakura."_ The Uzumaki summed up all of his failures. _"I'm going to die… I'm going to die…"_ The boy repeated in his head.

Kabuto readied his strike as he quickly closed in

"_I don't want to die!"_ Naruto screamed in his mind. Suddenly, several images started flashing in the spiky haired teen's mind. Iruka inviting him to ramen, Kakashi announcing that Team Seven passed their test, Sasuke protecting him from Haku, playing chess with Shikamaru, Sakura comforting him after the Sound invasion, falling asleep next to Hinata in the hospital, traveling with Jiraiya, receiving the First Hokage's necklace from Tsunade. Those, and many other memories flooded back into the young man's conscious. "I can't die!" The Sharingan user shouted just as Kabuto thrust his chakra scalpel forward.

The medic nin's eyes widened at the sight before him. Just a few inches from its target, his strike had been stopped by what appeared to be a large, ribcage covered in dark blue flames that encased the spiky haired genin.

Naruto was just as surprised as he looked at the strange, fiery construct that protected him. "At the limits of the sun and the moon… A storm will rise." The Leaf ninja absentmindedly found himself reciting the words he had seen on the Mangekyou scroll with his Sharingan.

The gray haired man took a couple of step back as he was unable to shake off his astonishment. Right in front of him, the spectral ribcage started to widened and take a more humanoid look as bones for the shoulders and the beginning of the neck started to manifest.

Realization of what was going on dawned on the blond and all of the sudden the young man felt his energy returning, making him feel elated and strong. "This is…" He started as he looked down at his right hand.

As if reacting to blonde's actions, more bones started to appear on the construct's right side, forming its gigantic right arm and hand.

Naruto glared at Kabuto with a look full of determination, closing his fist as the manifestation over him copied his action. "Susanoo!" The Sharingan users exclaimed as he punched forward, willing the monstrous apparition to do the same.

The medic nin was still stunned as the colossal fist came crashing down on him.

* * *

Tenkai no Ryuga – Dragon Fang of the Heavens (Made up)

Dokugiri – Poison Mist

Suiryudan no Jutsu – Water Dragon Jutsu

Sawarabi no Mai – Dance of the Seedling Fern

Arashi no Kago – Tempest's Cage (Made up)

* * *

**Itachi –** And that's the real reason why Phoenixsun wanted to get this chapter out.

**Lee –** What do you mean, Itachi-san?

**Itachi –** Susanoo is Phoenixsun's favorite jutsu in the series, he really wanted to get to it.

**Kisame –** I have problems with that Ryuga-thing. I remember it being different.

**Itachi –** Oh, Phoenxisun went through several different version of it. First it was a sword, then a spear, a chain, a spear again, and then settled on a spear with a chain.

**Lee –** That's a lot of changes… Was it even one of those wind-up monkeys with the cymbals? Heheheh…

**Kisame –** Wouldn't surprise me…

**Itachi –** Either way… Thanks everyone for reading this chapter of PHD. Hopefully, we'll see you next time.


End file.
